BRENTAN, BERNARD E. OVERBERG Y WILLIAM WESENER
THE VISIONS AND REVELATIONS OF SAINTLY
ANNA CATERINA EMMERICK
VOLUME IV
THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST AND HIS BLESSED MOTHER
The first Passover in Jerusalem
In accordance with the vision of Sh. Ana Catalina Emmerick
Edited by the Journal Cristiandad.org -
Jesus in Phasael. Heals Jairus' daughter. First meeting with Madeleine | |||
The celebration of the Passover by jesus, Lazarus, and his disciples, |
Jesus fasting 40 days in the Desert
Jesus went out of the inn with Lazarus to the wilderhood before the Sabbath. I told him I'd be back in 40 days. From this lodging he walked alone and barefoot, and went at first, not toward Jericho, but at noon, as he goes to Bethlehem, passing between the seats of the relatives of Hannah and the relatives of Joseph, near Mizpah; and he turned to the Jordan.
He walked through these places, to the place where the Ark of the Covenant was and where John had celebrated that solemn feast. At one hour from Jericho, he went up the mountain and entered a large cave.
This mountain stretched from Jericho, between the east and the midday, over the Jordan, to Midian. Jesus began his fasting in Jericho, and after he had gone through the Jordan, he was led by the devil to tempt him. From its summit this mountain offered a very extensive view: partly it was covered with plants and partly it looked steep and arid. The height was not as high as Jerusalem, but it was in a lower region and stood alone. When he looked up at the mountains of Jerusalem, he saw the highest part of Calvary, so that it was at the same level as the highest part in the temple. Toward Bethlehem, that is, to the south, was Jerusalem, upon a steep and dangerous hill; there was no entrance from this side, and all was occupied with palaces and buildings.
Jesus had already climbed into the night to one of the steep peaks of the desert mountain, now called Quarantine. There were three slopes on this mountain and three caves, one on top of the other. From the place where Jesus went up, a rocky abyss was visible from behind; the whole mountain was full of dangerous cliffs. In this same cave lived a prophet, whose name I can't remember, 400 years ago. Elijah also hid there for a while and enlarged the cave. Without anyone knowing where he was from, he sometimes went down to the people, made peace and prophesied. About 150 years before, they had their room there for about 25 essens. And the children of Israel encamped at the foot of this mountain, when the ark of the covenant and the trumpets went round about Jericho. In this same place was the well whose waters softened the prophet Elisha. St. Helena arranged these caves in the shape of chapels, and I once saw in one of these chapels a painting depicting the scene of temptation. On the top was also, in other times, a convent. I had not yet understood how the workers could get to the height of the mountain where that convent was. I saw that St. Helena built many chapels in these and other holy places. She also erected a chapel over Anne's father's house, about two hours from Sephorus, where her parents had another house. It caused me great sadness to see that these holy places were devastated until they lost the memory of the existing churches and chapels there. When I was a child and went before dawn, through the snow to the Koesfeld Church, I saw all these places very clearly; and I also saw that sometimes pious people, to prevent soldiers and warriors from devastating them, stood up and threw themselves on the ground before their swords.
The Scriptural words, "he was led by the spirit into the wilderness", mean: "The holy spirit, which had come down upon him at the baptism (since Jesus as a man let all things happen in him as such), moved him now to the wilderhood to prepare himself for his mission and to suffer as a man before his heavenly Father".
In that cave, Jesus knelt and prayed, with his arms outstretched to his heavenly Father, to have strength and comfort in all the sufferings that lay ahead of him. He saw before him all the future sufferings and asked his father for strength for each one. I had pictures of her pains at that time and I saw that she was given strength, constancy and merit for each of them. A great white cloud the size of a church descended upon him, and at each of his prayers angels in human form came down to him, giving him honor, encouragement, comfort, and promise of help. I know that Jesus prayed there and obtained for each of us all help, perseverance, victory and comfort in our trials and tribulations; that he bought for us, by his prayers, merit and victory; that he prepared there all merit of mortifications and fastings; and that he offered to God the Father all his struggles and sufferings to give merit and value to all the sufferings and sufferings of the spirit of those who believe in him. I found the treasure that Jesus set for the church and that was opened in forty days of his fasting. I saw Jesus sweat blood in this prayer. Then Jesus went down again from this mountain to the Jordan, about an hour's drive south from Gilgal to the place where John was baptizing. He went alone by a bank of the river, which was narrow at this point, and walked leaving Beth-habara to his right and several royal roads leading to Jordan. It followed mountain paths through the desert, entering between the east and noon. And he came to a valley that went to Kallirrohe, and passed by a stream, and went to a hill-side, further west, where Jachza was in a valley. The Israelites defeated the Ammonite king, Shishom. In this war there were three Israelites against ten and six enemies; but a miracle happened. And a storm came upon the Ammonites, and a terrible noise, and they fled, and prevailed against them. Jesus was now on a very steep mountain. It was all wilder there than on the mountain near Jericho, which was on the other side. It's nine hours from Jordan.
Inner temptations of Jesus
Jesus' divinity and mission were hidden from Satan. The words, "This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased", he understood as being spoken to a man, a prophet. Jesus was now distressed within himself. The first temptation he had was this: "This people is too perverse; must I suffer all these things for them and not be able to attain to the full effect of my work?" Jesus overcame this temptation, despite foreseeing all his pains, with immense kindness and love for men, Jesus prayed in the cave, sometimes on his knees, sometimes on foot, and sometimes on his face. I was wearing her usual clothes, but she was looser. He didn't wear sandals and he was barefoot. On the floor were his cloak, some bags and his belt. Every day was the work of his prayer different, because every day he got us more graces; and so I saw that they did not return to the things I had already won. Without this struggle and merit of Jesus for us, our resistance to temptation and our possible victory could not have been worthy. Jesus did not eat or drink, but I saw angels comforting and strengthening him. He had not lost weight with the long fast: his face seemed paler.
In this cave, which was not at its peak, there was an opening through which a cold air entered; and at this time of year it was already cold and the day was misty. The interior was made of colored stones, so if polished, they could look painted in various colors. The surroundings of the cave had very little vegetation. It was so wide that Jesus could be sitting or lying on one side of it without being under that opening. I saw him lying on his face. His bare feet were bleeding, wounded by the way he had walked, for he had gone into the wilderness barefoot. Sometimes he stood up; other times he lay on his face. It was surrounded by light. Suddenly there was a quake and a noise; the cave was filled with light, and a multitude of angels appeared, carrying various objects. I felt so distressed and oppressed that I seemed to be in my own cave; and having the impression that I was sinking and losing myself, I began to cry out, "I am sinking; I must sink beside my Jesus!" Now I saw that the angels were bowing down before Jesus, honoring him and asking him if they could present to him the instruments of his mission, and if it was his will still to suffer by men as a man, as had been his will when he came down from his father and took flesh into the bosom of the Virgin. As Jesus renewed His resolution again, the angels lifted up before him a very large cross whose parts they had carried. This cross was the shape I always saw and consisted of four parts, as I also saw the presses of wine. The top of the cross, which stood between the two pieces of wood on the sides, was also set aside. Five angels carried the lower part of the cross, three angels the upper part, three on the left arm and three on the right; three carried the piece of wood where Jesus' feet rested; three carried a ladder; another a basket of ropes and utensils; another the spear, the cane, the flogging, the staff, the crown of thorns, the nails, the scorned garments, and finally, all the things that were the cause of his pains in his passion. The hollow cross, so you could open it like a closet, and inside you could see all kinds of martyrdom instruments. In the middle of it, where it corresponded to Jesus' open heart, there was a tangle of figures of torment with the most diverse objects. The color of the cross was blood that moved. Thus, each part of the cross was of different colors, with which one could discern the various pains that Jesus was to suffer; and the rays of these parts went to the image of the heart that was in the middle. In each part were various instruments indicating future suffering. Also on this cross were seen vessels of fur and vinegar; others of myrrh and aloes, which were used after the Savior's death. And there were also within her a multitude of bands of ribbons, of the breadth of the hand, of various colors, wherein were recorded various forms of sorrows and pains. The different colors denoted different degrees and forms of darkness and darkness that were to be illuminated and made clear by Jesus' pains. Of black color appeared what was lost; brown what was sad, hard, dry, mixed and dirty; red what was heavy, earthly, sensual; and yellow what was fragile, very delicate and comfortable. There were some bands, between yellow and colored, that had to be whitened and illuminated. There were also other white, milk-white stripes with bright, transparent writing. That meant the gained, the defeated, the completed and perfected. These bands were as signs and representations, the account of all the struggles and pains that Jesus had to endure in his mortal career, with his disciples and with men. And they brought before the Lord all the men that were most to cause him to suffer, the stubbornness of the Pharisees, and the betrayal of Judas, and the cruelty of the Jews during the pains of his passion and death. All these things were being done by the angels before the eyes of Jesus with great reverence and in a certain order, as a priest would do in and when all this painful apparatus was presented to him, I saw Jesus, and the angels with him, shedding tears. On another day I saw angels representing Jesus as the ingratitude of men, the doubts, the mockery, the betrayal and denial of friends and enemies, until his bitter death and even afterward; and all that of their pains and sorrows would be lost to men. They also showed him what was earned, for his comfort. All of this was depicted in pictures and I saw the angels pointing to these pictures and representations. In all these depictions I saw the cross of Jesus, as always, of five kinds of wood, with the arms fitting in, with the cones underneath and a wood for resting the feet. The piece of wood to put the title I saw added above, because there was no space over the head to put it. This piece of wood was overlaid, like a lid on a box.
Jesus tempted by Satan
Satan was not sure of my knowledge of the divinity of Christ; he considered him a prophet. He had observed the holiness of his youth and his youth, and the holiness and holiness of the mother, to whom he could never reach with his temptations, for she did not receive them. There was no matter in Mary for Satan to try. Mary was the most beautiful virgin; but she had no conscious relations with any pretenders, except the choice that she was made in the temple by the sign of the flower rod. Satan was intrigued to see that Jesus, a prophet in his opinion, did not have the Pharisees' customs and the strictness of the law in the ways and customs with his disciples; he considered him a man, for he saw that certain outward things scandalized the Phariseers.
Seeing that Jesus often showed himself zealous, he wanted to tempt him, as if he were a disciple who wanted to follow him; and seeing him so kind, he wanted in the form of a weak old man to tempt and argue with him as if he was an Essence. That's why I once saw Satan at the entrance of the cave, in the form of a young widow's son, knowing that Jesus loved that young man. Satan made a noise at the entrance to displease Jesus, and as soon as that disciple came to his retirement against his command to go with him. Jesus didn't even turn his face to look at him. Satan walked through the cave and spoke of John the Baptist who, according to him, must be very displeased with Jesus, whom he had baptized in various places, something that did not correspond to Him but only to John.
After that, Satan sent seven or nine of his disciples, one after another. One by one they came to the cave and reported that Eustatius had told them that he was in the cave; that they were looking for him with great anxiety; that he should not spoil health there, abandoning them. They added that much was spoken about Him and that He should not allow so many voices to spread about His way of doing things. Jesus did not answer all these representations and finally said: "Get away from me, Satan; now is not the time".
Later, Satan appeared again in the form of a very venerable old being, who was tired of climbing the mountain. He seemed so tired that I felt sorry for the seemingly venerable old man myself. He approached the cave, falling exhausted at its door, groaning in pain. Jesus didn't even look at the one who had just entered. Then the so-called Essenan stood up and said that he was one of the men from Mount Carmel, who had heard about Jesus and had gone there to see him, almost fainting.
He asked her to sit with him for a moment, to talk about things about God. He said that he knew what fasting and prayer were; and if two were joined in prayer, they would serve as mutual edification. Jesus answered only a few words, such as: "Get away from me, Satan, for the hour has not yet come".
Only then did I see that Satan had appeared, for as he went away and disappeared he became black, dark and full of anger. It made me laugh to see that he fell to the floor like he was passing out and finally had to get up on his own.
When Satan appeared again to tempt Jesus, he appeared in the form of the aged Eliud. He should have known that Jesus had seen the cross with all the suffering that lay ahead, for he began by saying that he had a vision of the great pains that Jesus was to suffer and that he felt that he would not be able to endure such suffering. He said that he could not fast for forty days either and so he came to see him again and asked him to let him share his loneliness and take on a part of his promise and resolution. Jesus looked up to the tempter and said, "Father, get this temptation away from me. Immediately Satan has gone away from me, full of wrath and anger".
After this he knelt down to pray. And after a while I saw three young men who had been with him from Nazareth, who wanted to be his disciples, and who had left him. These young men threw themselves at Jesus' feet and told him that they could not have peace and tranquility unless he forgave them; they seemed very repentant and contrite. They asked him to welcome them back and let them fast with him, adding that from there they wanted to be his more faithful disciples.
They seemed very distressed; and entering the great cave, they walked around him with all sorts of noise. Jesus then got up, lifted his hands to heaven, prayed to his Father, and immediately the image of those young ones disappeared.
One evening, while Jesus was kneeling and praying, I saw Satan, dressed in bright clothes, floating in the air and climbing up the steep slope of the mountain. This steep slope was eastward; there was no entrance on that side, only a few holes in the rocks. Satan looked like a shining angel, but Jesus did not look at him. I saw that in these cases Satan's light was never transparent, but with superficial and imitative brilliance; and his own dress gave an impression of hardness, as he saw the apparel of the angels transparent, light and shining. Satan, in the form of an angel, stood at the entrance of the cave and said, "I am sent by your Father to comfort you; Jesus has not even looked at him".
After that, he appeared again in another part of the mountain, near a completely inaccessible opening, and told Jesus to consider himself as an angel, since he was flying through those inaccessible places. This time, too, Jesus was not worthy to look at him. Then I saw Satan terribly angry and he made a gesture as if he wanted to terrorize him with his claws through that opening; his face and appearance were horrible. Jesus didn't even look at him. Satan is gone.
I saw Satan appear in the form of an old hermit from Mount Sinai, all torn and repentant, and enter Jesus' cave. I saw him climb the mountain with fatigue; he had a long beard and only a skin as a garment; but nevertheless I recognized, because he could not hide, something crooked and pointy on his face. He said that he had a Mount Carmel being with him, who would tell him of his baptism, his wisdom, his miracles and now his strict fast.
So he had come, in spite of his advanced age, to him, so that he might be worthy of speaking to him, who had also had a long experience in the matter of fasting and penance. I told him that the deed was enough, that he should leave the rest and that he himself would take a part of what was still to be done. He spoke many things in this way, and Jesus, looking only to one side, said, "Get away from me, Satan!" Then I saw Satan falling down like a stone from the mountain, thundered like a dark body. I wondered how it could be unknown to the Devil that Jesus was God.
I was then instructed and clearly knew the great benefit to men that Satan, and man himself, did not understand and should believe.
And Jehovah said unto me, The serpent that tempted thee knew not that it was Satan; and Satan should not know that it was a God that saved man.
I saw on this occasion that Satan only recognized Christ's divinity when he went down to hell to free the souls of the holy priests. One of these days I saw Satan appear in the form of a venerable man who came from Jerusalem and approached the cave of Jesus, where he was praying. He said that he was coming because he was very interested in knowing if He was destined to give freedom to his people Israel. He told all that was said and reported in Jerusalem about him and added that he had come to help and protect him.
He claimed to be a messenger of Herod, who invited him to go with him to Jerusalem, hide in Herod's palace and gather his disciples together until he had his plan for release in order. He insisted that it was advisable that you go with him immediately. He said all this in many words and extensively. Jesus didn't look at him. He prayed earnestly; and suddenly I saw Satan go away from him, turning his face to horror and driving out flames and darkness from his nostrils.
While Jesus was tormented by hunger and especially by thirst, Satan appeared in the form of a pious hermit who said to him: "I am very hungry; please give me some of the fruit that is there on the mountain in front of the entrance". "Well, I do not want to take anything without the permission of the owner. Let us sit down amicably and talk about good things". Jesus said to him: "Get away from me, you are a liar from the beginning, and you do not cause any harm to these fruits".
Then I saw the so-called hermit rush like a dark, distorted shadow coming down from the mountain and ejecting black steam. Satan appeared in the form of a traveler and asked if he could not eat the beautiful grapes he saw nearby, which were so good to quench his thirst. Jesus did not answer or look at the side of the man. A few days later, he tried to show her a water fountain.
Satan tempts Jesus by means of magic tricks
Satan went to Jesus' cave again, this time as a master of artifacts and as a wise man. He said he came to him as such, that something could show him what he knew how to do, and invited him to look inside an artifact he was carrying. Saying that, he showed a machine that looked like a ball, or rather, a bird basket. Jesus did not look at him, turned his back and left the cave.
In this kaleidoscope that Satan brought, a wonderful representation of nature was seen: a delightful garden of lush vegetation, pleasant shade, fresh springs, trees full of beautiful fruits, and lush vineyards. All this seemed so close that one could take it by hand and with numerous changes of landscapes and delightful objects. When Jesus turned his back on him, Satan fled from there with his device". This temptation came at this moment to make Jesus break his fast, who was now beginning to feel more than before the stimuli of hunger and thirst.
Satan did not know what to do with Jesus. He knew the prophecies that were about him and felt that Jesus had a power that others did not have; but he did not know that it was God, nor did he know for sure that the Messiah that Satan could not be so great in his works; because he saw him in many things so human; he saw him fasting, suffering temptations, having hunger and hunger and suffering like other men. In this he was as blind, in part, as the Pharisees. If you are the Son of God, whom the Holy Spirit has sent down to baptize, tell him, "Look, I have turned these stones into bread. Make them bread". Jesus did not look at Satan, but heard the words he said, "Man does not live on bread".
I understood those words clearly. Then Satan became furious. He stretched out his claws at Jesus and I saw the two stones in his hands. As I was running from there, I couldn't help laughing at the fact that he had to carry the stones he had brought.
Satan takes Jesus to the temple apex and to the mountain
The next afternoon I saw Satan flying to Jesus like a mighty angel, with a great thunder. He was wearing warrior's clothes, as I often see St. Michael. But in Satan there is always something repulsive and opaque, even in its greatest brilliance. He boasted before Jesus and said, "I will show you who I am and who the angels are holding me in their arms. Look at the temple in Jerusalem and the place where I will set it on its highest point.
Show me your power and the angels' hold on you". While he was still saying these things, I saw the city of Jerusalem and the temple as though on a mountain. I believe all this was but a deception of Satan. Jesus did not answer her.
Then Satan took him up and carried him down to Jerusalem, and put him on the top of the four towers of the temple, which I had not yet seen. This tip was in the west corner, toward Zion, opposite the Antonia tower. The hillside where the temple was was was in this very steep part. These towers were prison cells, and in one of them were kept the precious priestly garments. They were flat above, so that one could walk in them; yet there was still a hollow cone in the middle of them that ended with a bowl so large that there could be two men standing there. From there you could see the temple as a whole. At this higher point Satan put Jesus, who had said nothing until that time. Then the devil came down from the sky to the earth and said, "If you are the Son of God, show yourself to the ground, for it is written: 'He will command his angels to take you by the hand, so that you will not stumble against any stone.'" Jesus replied, "It is also written:' You shall not put your God to the test."
Then came Satan all angry against him, and Jesus said, "Use the authority that has been given to you". Then Satan took him by the shoulders and, furious, flew him across the wilderness toward Jericho. On that tower fell the evening light from the sky. This time, he flew slower. I saw him flying with anger with Jesus, already up, already down, already humming, like someone who wants to vent his anger and can't control the object of his anger. He took him to the same mountain about seven o'clock, where Jesus had begun his fast.
I saw that he took him to a terebinth tree that stood tall and strong in the middle of a garden of an Essen who had long lived in this place. Elias lived there too. He was behind the cave, not far from the steep slope. These trees were cut down and chopped in the bark three times a year and each time produced a certain amount of balm.
Satan placed Jesus on a mountain peak, which was inaccessible and higher than the cave itself. It was night; but as Satan pointed one way or the other, the most beautiful landscapes could be seen from all parts of the world. "I know that you are a great teacher," Satan said to him, and now you are going to make disciples of your teaching. Look at all these glorious cities and strongholds of Judea, and look at this little city of Judea. There you will go. I will deliver all these regions to you if you will bow down and worship me".
By this worship he meant this obscenity and humiliation which was of use among the Pharisees and Jews before kings and powerful persons when they wanted something from them. The devil presented a similar temptation there, though on a greater scale, than when he presented himself in the form of a messenger of King Herod from Jerusalem, inviting him to go into the city and live in the castle under his protection. When Satan pointed with his hand, there were great countries and vast seas; then their cities, their kings and princes, their magnificence and triumphs, going and coming with their warriors and soldiers with all majesty and splendor.
Everything seemed as clear as it was near and even more distinct. It seemed that there was one inside this magnificence and each figure, each picture, each people appeared with different splendors, with their own peculiar customs, uses and ways. Satan pointed out to some peoples their chief peculiarities and especially a country where there were great men and strong warriors, that they looked like giants, I think Persia, and he said that there he had to go and teach. Palestine was represented very small and despicable. It was a wonderful representation: there were so many things, so clear and at the same time so splendid and attractive. Jesus said, "Worship your Lord God and serve him alone. Get away from me, Satan!"
Then I saw Satan, in a terrible way, falling down from the mountain, falling into the depths, and disappearing as if he had been swallowed up by the earth".
Angels serve Jesus
After this I saw a multitude of angels appear to Jesus, bow down before him, and carry him gently in the palm of their hands into the cave where he had begun his forty days of fasting. There were twelve angels and a number of helpers. I don't remember 72 well, but I think I do, because I had continual remembrance of the apostles and the 72 disciples during this vision. A Thanksgiving and Victory feast was celebrated in the cave with a meal.
I saw the angels inside the cave adorned with leaves of grapes. From the cave down, a leaf crown was placed on Jesus' head. All this happened in an admirable order and certain solemnity, and it was bright and significant, and it did not last long; for what was grafted into an intention followed the intention completely alive and spread according to its destiny.
The angels brought from the beginning a small table with food from heaven, which was enlarged afterwards. The food and the vessels were like those that I always saw at the tables of heaven, and I saw Jesus and the twelve apostles and the other angels they were partaking of the food". It was not their one to eat with their mouth, and yet it was a take for themselves and a transfer of fruits in which they enjoyed, which were recreated and participated in the meal.
It was as if the inner meaning of food passed to the person who ate it. That was inexplicable. At the end of the table was a large and bright chalice and small vessels round it, in the form of that which was used at the last supper; only there it was more spiritual and larger. There was also a dish with round buns.
I saw Jesus throwing something from the great chalice into the small bowls and watering the pieces of bread into the bowls, and the angels took them from them and ate them. As he saw these things, the vision disappeared. Jesus went down from the cave to the Jordan. The angels did this in different ways and in different order. Those who disappeared with the bread and wine were wearing priestly robes at that very moment I saw all sorts of comfort and animation in the friends of Jesus now and later. He saw Jesus appear to Mary in Cana in an admirable way and comfort her and comfort her. I saw Lazarus and Martha touched by love for Jesus. I saw Mary the Silent, actually cooling with some of this food:
I saw the angel beside her and she received the food. Mary, the Silent One, always contemplated Jesus' pains and temptations and was in these wonderful things so that she marveled at nothing. I still saw Magdalene moved: she was at that moment busy dressing up for a feast, when suddenly she was surprised by her healthy life and her salvation and threw her ornament on the ground, causing ridicule from those around her. I saw many who would later become his disciples relieved and comforted and jealous of Jesus. I saw Nathanael in his reading thinking about the things he had heard from Jesus, very moved; but he immediately put it all away from his mind.
I saw Andrew, Peter, and the other apostles strengthened and moved. It was an admirable show. Mary lived at the beginning of Jesus' fasting in the house near Capernaum. I had the opportunity to hear many who murmured that he was wandering and no one knew where; that he had abandoned his mother; that it was his duty, after Joseph's death, to take up a job to support his mother. Now there was much talk, especially about what had happened at his baptism, the testimony of John, and the things that the disciples who were scattered in their villages were telling. A similar thing only happened again at the resurrection of Lazarus and in his passion and death.
Mary was worried and suffering within herself. She was never exempt from visions, participation, and feelings of compassion for Jesus. At the end of the forty days Mary was at Cana in Galilee with the parents of Cana's wife. These were distinct people in the city and as its chiefs; they had a house, almost in the middle of the city, which was beautiful and clean; a main street passed through it; I believe that from Ptolemais one could see the road coming in this direction of the city which was not as unpaved and poorly built as others. The husband had his wedding at his house.
I had another house in town, which they arranged for her daughter to have. Now Mary was living there. The husband was about the same age as Jesus and was like the father in his mother's house, and he was administered by her. These good people asked Mary for advice on the upbringing of their children and showed all their belongings.
Jesus goes to the Jordan and baptizes there
John was still busy at this time in the baptisms. Herod sent messengers to flatter him and to make him famous about Jesus. John always treated him with little appreciation and repeated his earlier testimony about Jesus. Again they sent messengers to John to ask him about their conduct with Jesus. John repeated the same thing: "I had never seen him before, and I had been told to prepare his way". John had been teaching since the baptism of Jesus that the water was now sanctified by the baptism with which Jesus was baptized and by the Holy Spirit who was descending on him, and that many evil things came out of it; which had been like an exorcism of waters". Jesus was baptizing to sanctify the waters. John's baptism was now purer and more holy; so I saw Jesus baptizing in a separate place, and from this spring flowing to the Jordan and the place of baptism, and Jesus and his disciples taking this water with them for other baptism. Then Jesus left for Bethsabah. Andrew and Saturn, who were with John, hurried across the Jordan to the place where Jesus had gone. He was followed by one of the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea and two other disciples of John. They hurried to follow Jesus, and he went out to meet them and asked what they were looking for. So André asked him, very glad to have found him, where he lived. Jesus sent them along, took them to an inn near Bethsabah, by the sea, and they sat down. Jesus stayed with these five disciples at Beth-bara and shared a meal with them. He said that he would begin his public life and associate with some disciples. Andrew named some of his acquaintances and commended them; he named Peter, Philip, Nathanael, whom Jesus spoke of baptism in the Jordan and of those who were to be baptized. They said, "There is no room here except where John was baptizing, and we do not want him to be kept". Jesus spoke of John's mission and call, of his next term, and confirmed all the words that John had spoken about the Messiah. He also spoke of his preparation in the wilderness for his ministry and the need for preparation for important works. He was kind and familiar to his disciples, for they were somewhat embarrassed and humiliated in his presence.
The next morning Jesus went from Bethsabah to the Jordan and taught the people. Later, he crossed the Jordan and taught in a small village about twenty houses, an hour's drive before arriving at Jericho. A crowd of people came to hear what John had said and to be baptized by him. They told John the news. It was almost noon when I saw him teaching. Jesus ordered several disciples to go to the Sabbath on the other side of the Jordan, about an hour's journey upriver from Bethsabah, and to prepare a spring there where John, coming from Aenum, was baptizing before he crossed the Jordan eastward to Bethsabah. They wanted to prepare a meal for Jesus, but he left and went over the Jordan to Beth-habah on the Sabbath, where he was teaching in the synagogue. There he ate at the synagogue ruler's house and slept there. The place of baptism that John had used some time before that was now restored by Jesus' disciples. The fountain was not as large as that of John near Jericho; it had a rim with spaces for him to be baptized and a small channel around it through which water went to the fountain at will, as needed. There were now three places of baptism: that above Beth-baʹta·barʹah, the place where Jesus was baptized, the island that was born there in the Jordan, and the most used where John was baptizing at the time. When Jesus arrived, he threw water into the spring from the island where he was baptized, which Andrew had brought in a jar, and blessed the spring's water. The baptized there all felt very moved and wonderfully changed. Andrew and Saturn were the ones who baptized. They did not plunge themselves entirely into the water; people came to the fountain, laying their hands on their shoulders, and the baptizer poured his hand out three times into the water, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. At John's baptism I saw that they were using a vessel with three openings through which three pings of water came out. Many people were baptized there, especially the Perea. Jesus stood on a high place full of grass and was teaching about repentance, baptism, and the Holy Spirit. He said: "This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased. He also says the same about each one who loves his heavenly Father and repents of his sins. He sends his spirit upon all who are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and he finds them pleasing to him. For he is the father of all who are baptised by him and are born again to him by his baptism.
I wondered how these and other things are so briefly recorded in the Gospel; for example: Jesus, only Andrew follows him, after the testimony of John, is immediately with Peter, who was not even there, but in Galilee. What makes me more amazed is that in the Gospel, almost after the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the Thursday Passover meal and passion follow, while I listened to so many teachings of Jesus during this interval and spent so many days. I believe Jesus stayed there for about fifteen more days before going to Galilee. Andrew had not yet been received as an apostle. Jesus had not called him; he himself offered himself, saying that he willingly wanted to be with him He was more helpful and more determined than Peter, who thought with some lightness:"For this I do not feel able, I would have no strength". So he went back to his usual occupations. Saturn himself and the two cousins of Joseph of Arimathea, Aram and Themeni, had been thus added to Jesus. Now many more of John's disciples were coming to Jesus. If it were not for John's followers, they would not have kept them out of their way. The place of John's baptism was no longer so crowded. These zealous men complained to John that it was not right to see Jesus' disciples baptizing there, which corresponded to John. John had much work to do in making them see his difficulty in understanding and his selfishness. He told them to remember his words, which he always repeated: that he had come to prepare the ways, that he would soon disappear when those ways were ready. They loved John very much and did not want to understand those reasons. So many had gathered to Jesus' baptism that he told his disciples to leave. Jesus walked, accompanied by about twenty of them, including Andrew, Saturn, Aaron, and Themeni, of Beth-habara, through the common passage across the Jordan, and he went to Gilgal, and leaving it to the right, toward the city of Ophrah, which was hidden in a valley between the mountains. People from the region of Sodom and Gomorrah came to him on camels and brought their goods east of the Jordan, and they were baptized by John. There was a minor road from Judea to Jordan. The place was as if forgotten, about three or four hours from John's place, a little closer to Jericho and about seven hours from Jerusalem. This city was cold because it didn't have much sun, but it was well built. The inhabitants enjoyed a certain prosperity that came from smugglers, merchants, and exchangers, as did the publicans. They lived, in a word, on their trade. They were not bad, but indifferent and with the spirit that traders who live well on their trade used to have. Nor did they care much about John's baptism; they did not long for spiritual salvation and it happened to them as to those who have the necessities for life and do not care anymore. When Jesus came near, he ordered the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea to ask for the keys to the synagogue and to call the people to teach.
Jesus entrusted these disciples to this end because they were gentle and skilled in the art of persuading. As he entered the city, the evil spirits and the evil spirit were shouting, "Here comes the Prophet Jesus Christ, the Son of God! He has come to drive us out of here!" Jesus told them to shut up and be quiet. They kept quiet and followed him into the synagogue, where he had to go through almost the entire city. He taught there until the afternoon and only went out once to eat. He taught about the nearness of God's kingdom, the need for baptism, and urged the inhabitants with harsh words to get out of their timidity and false security before God's judgment came upon them. With harsh words he rebuked their usury, their unjust business, and all their sins, which were like those of the tax collectors and merchants. The men did not contradict; but they were not very accessible, because they were too involved in their obscure business. Some were very moved and improved. In the afternoon others from the illustrious and poor came to his shelter willing to go to John's baptism. In fact, from the next morning on, they were on their way to where John was. Early in the morning Jesus left Ophrah with his disciples and went to Bethsabah. On the way they separated. Andrew was sent forward in the greatest number, along the way that Jesus had taken, with Saturninus and the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea; they went to John's place by the way where he had given witness of Him after baptism. As he went by, he went into some houses and urged people to be baptized by John. At noon they were again in Bethsabah. Jesus was teaching, while Saturnino and Andrew were baptizing. As new baptized ones came, Jesus' teaching was that of other times: that his Eternal Father would say to all who would repent and be baptized: "This is my Son, the beloved", for all were children of God. The most baptized were from the jurisdiction of the tetrarch Philip, who was a good man. These people considered themselves happy and had little concern for baptism until then. From Bethsabah, Jesus and three of his disciples went across the valley to Dibom, where he had previously been for the Feast of Tabernacles. He taught in some houses and in the synagogue that was far from the city in the middle of the valley. He did not enter the city of Dibon, and withdrew at night to a solitary hostel where workers from the surrounding countryside were given lodging and food. Now it was being sown there and they had to dig the ground because they often found stones and sand and could not use the common tools to dig the land. They just stored some of the harvest they collected. The inhabitants of this valley, which could be about three hours' journey, were good, simple, and modest people, and they were well disposed toward Jesus. Jesus taught them with the parable of the sower, both in the synagogue and in the field, explaining the parable. Jesus did not always explain the parables. When he spoke to the Pharisees, he often used a parable without giving an explanation. Andrew and Saturnino went with other disciples to Ophra because the people there, already moved by Jesus' visit, needed to be confirmed and strengthened in these good dispositions. Jesus left Dibom and went to the place called Eleale, about four hours from Beth-habah; he went about two hours south from the Jordan, about the road that had gone before Beth-habeh. Then he came with about seven of them and went into the house of the synagogue ruler. On the Sabbath, Jesus began teaching in the synagogue with a parable about the branches of a tree that are blown by the wind and fall without fruit. He wanted to tell them that they had for the most part not improved with John's baptism, and that they were letting themselves be moved by every wind, throwing the shoots and flowers of penance, and not bearing fruit of conversion. He used this comparison because they lived primarily on the fruits of their trees. And they took their fruit away, because there was no way; and I saw that they labored to make blankets, and to weave [them] in quantity. Until then, Jesus had found no one to contradict himself. The people of Dibom and in general of the surrounding area were moved by him and said that they had never heard such a teacher, and the elders compared him to the prophets, whose teachings their forefathers had heard. After the Sabbath, Jesus went west about three hours to Bethsaimoth, an hour east of the Jordan. As they were walking, Andrew, Saturn and other disciples of John joined Jesus. And he told them how the children of Israel had encamped there, and how Moses and Joshua had spoken to the people. He applied it to the present times and to his own teaching. The city of Bethjesimoth was not large, but its county was fertile especially in vineyards. As Jesus entered the city, some demon - possessed men were thrown out of the house. They began to shout, "Look, the prophet is coming! He will drive us out!" Jesus turned and ordered them to be quiet. He let down his chains and told them to take him to the synagogue. At once their chains fell off, they fell at Jesus' feet, gave him thanks, and followed him into the synagogue. There he taught them a parable about the fruit and the vineyard. Then he visited and healed many sick people in their homes. Since the city was not led by any real road, people brought their fruits to the market to sell them. This was the first time Jesus had cured a patient since he left the desert. So the people of the area begged him to stay. But Jesus went, accompanied by Andrew, a Saturnian, the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea, about twelve disciples, northward to the general passage leading to Dibom, the same as he had done when he had gone to the Feast of Tabernacles from Gilgal. They had to spend a lot of time crossing the river, because they had no places to board and land because of the steep mountain across the river. From there they walked an hour's journey to Samaria, a small place at the foot of a mountain. The city was made up of few houses and had no school. There lived shepherds and simple, good people who dressed almost like the shepherds of the cave of Bethlehem. Jesus taught outdoors on a high place where there was a seat. This people had already received John's baptism.
Jesus at Shiloh, Kibzaim, and Thebez
After this I saw Jesus at Shiloh, on the top of a gentle hill, on the other side, while the others were steep; there was a large plateau. At this time the hut where the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the early days of the Exodus from Egypt was built. There was a large area surrounded by a partly collapsed wall where the ruins of the galleries that had been made over the Ark's hut could still be seen. In the place where the Ark was, a column similar to that at Gilgal, under the roof, in an open gallery, perpetuated the memory. There was there, as also at Gilgal, a cave dug in the rock. Not far away there was a place for the sacrifice and beside it a cave covered for the waste, for even to this day they were permitted to offer sacrifices two or three times a year. The synagogue was also located there, with walls, from which one could enjoy a beautiful view of the heights of Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, and other mountainous landscapes. The city of Shiloh was in decay and little inhabited; there was a school of Pharisees and Sadducees. The inhabitants were not good: they were arrogant, full of suspicion and false security. Some distance from the city gates were the ruined walls of an Essenes' convent, and nearby was the house where the Benjaminites had confined the young women at the Tabernacle feasts. Jesus entered with his twelve disciples in number into a house where traveling teachers and prophets had the right to stay. This house was next to the school and the rooms of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
I saw about twenty of them gathered around Jesus, dressed in robes with long girdle and with long tails hanging from their sleeves. They pretended to know nothing about Jesus and asked silly questions, such as, "How was that"... That there were two baptisms: one by John and another by a certain Jesus, the son of a carpenter from Galilee? What was true baptism? "Then Martha said to them, 'This is the mother of Jesus, the son of the carpenter, who was in the synagogue of Bethlehem, and who was a widow with her two sons, and who went from one side to the other making new sheaves.' They also said that they did not need these things, but the law and the prophets were enough for them. These things they said, not openly, in an offensive tone, but with a fine study and with a sure scrap of garbage. When Martha answered them, 'It was the one of whom they were speaking, and who had also spoken of the teaching or the baptism, she said to them that this was the word of her heavenly father, who was also of all those who repented of their sins and were baptized. They said these things, not open-heartedly, but with fine study and certainly with a clean conscience.'
And when they were in the synagogy, they said, 'It is the word of the law, and they were not of the law,' they said, and they said, "How long they had they been in the city of the Lord, and how they had "Kibzaim was hiding in a corner of the mountain. The inhabitants made their living from the fruit trade and made tents, carpets, rugs, and sandal soles. Jesus kept the Sabbath there and healed many sick people with his word. They were gout-ridden and mentally ill who were brought to their presence in cattle in front of the school. The meal took place at the home of one of the chief Levites. After the Sabbath, Jesus went to Sychar, where he stayed in an inn prepared in advance. Lazarus and his companions left Kibzaim and headed straight for Galilee. And he went up from Shechar to the north, and went to Thebez; for he could not teach in Shechar or Shechem. There were no Jews, but only Samaritans and a class of people who, from the Babylonian captivity or after a war, settled there - at the temple in Jerusalem - but did not offer sacrifices. And there were good fields in Shechem, which Jacob bought for Joseph his son. Part of this region was already under Herod the Galilean; so a marked border with a mound and some posts was visible from the middle of the valley. A royal road passed through Thebez, which was a regular city, and there was plenty of trade. Heavily loaded camels passed by. I was amazed and amazed when
I saw these animals appear, loaded like towers, through mountain canyons, or climbing and moving their long necks and heads between the loads of their backs. It was also marketed with raw silk. The inhabitants of Thebez were neither bad nor opposed to Jesus' teachings; but they were neither sensitive nor simple; they were quite lukewarm, as were the businessmen who used to be profitable. Priests and scribes proved more secure and neutral. When Jesus came to them, the demons and the hypocrites began to shout, "Look! The prophet is coming from Galilee! He has authority over us!" Jesus told them to be quiet and they were quiet and obeyed. He entered the synagogue, and many sick people were brought to him, and he healed them all. In the afternoon, he taught in the school and celebrated the temple dedication feast that began that afternoon. In the school and in every house seven lamps were lit; also in the fields and in the streets there were a multitude of lamps shining on long poles. Thebez was strangely situated on the top of the mountain: from one side and away you could see the camels carrying the mountain roads coming down, and from near you could not see them. Andrew, Saturn, and the nephews of Joseph of Arimathea had already left Shiloh for Galilee.
Andrew had been with his family at Bethsaida and had told Peter that he had found the Messiah, who was now coming to Galilee and wanted to take Peter to Jesus. All these went to Arbel, who was also called Betarbel, to the house of Nathaniel Chased, who had business there and they were called to go with them to Gennebris and celebrate the feast, for there Nathaniel had his residence in a house, along with others, at the entrance of the city. They talked a lot about Jesus and agreed with Andrew to go to the feast. They wanted to hear his opinion, but he was not convinced of all these things. Lazarus took Martha and Joanna the Chussian to the home of Mary in Capernaum, where he had returned after his stay in Cana, and went to Tiberias with Simeon's son, where they would meet Jesus again. The bridegroom of Cana also went out to meet Jesus. This boyfriend of Cana was the son of a daughter of Sheba, sister of Anai, also named Nathanael, but he was not from Cana, but was going to Canaan to be married. The town of Gennebris was very populated and had a royal road in the middle. There was a lot of trade in it of various things and silks. It was a few hours from the town of Tiberias, but separated by mountains, so we had to turn south and return between Emmaus and Tiberias to enter the city. Arbel was between Sephorus and Tiberius.
First official appeal of Peter
At dawn Jesus left Thebes with his disciples and went eastward, and then northward to the valley of the Jordan, to the vicinity of Tiberias. And he went by Abel-mehulah, a beautiful place, where the mountain turned northward; and the prophet Elisha was born. It stretched along the slopes of the mountain, and I could see there the fertility of the sun-facing place and that of the north. The people were very kind, and they had heard of the wonders of Kibzaim and Thebez. They stopped him on the way and begged him to stay and heal the sick, for the crowd was running. But he did not stay long. The site was about four hours from Thebez. Jesus came there by way of Acitopolis and the Jordan. As Jesus left Abel-Mela, Andrew, Peter and John went to a town about six hours from Tiberias to meet him. The others were already in Gennebris. Peter had been with John in the fishermen's area for his business. They also wanted to go to Gennesbris, but Andrew persuaded them to go to meet Jesus first. He took Simon his brother to Jesus. "You are Simon, " he said", the son of John, "but you will be called Cephas". That was in a nutshell. John said something about them meeting soon. After that, Peter and John went to Gennebris. Andrew stayed with Jesus, who walked around Tarichea. John had left his former place, crossed the Jordan, and was still baptizing at Bethsabah, where Jesus had commanded that he be baptized and John had baptized before. This was because many people from the territory of the tetrarch Philip, who was a good man, wanted to be baptized, but they were not going over the Jordan because there were many Gentiles and because many had decided to be bapticed by Jesus' last stay. Also, to show that he was not far from Jesus, he wanted to baptize in the same place. When Jesus and Andrew arrived near Tarichea, they stayed in Peter's fisherman's house by the sea, where Andrew had prepared a shelter. He didn't go into town. The inhabitants were full of darkness, repellent, and devoted to usury and illicit gain. Simon, who had a job, went with Thaddeus and James the younger to the feast of Gennebris, where James the elder and John were also. Lazarus, Saturnino, and the son of Simeon and the bridegroom of Cana met Jesus. The bridegroom invited Jesus and all his companions to his next wedding. The main reason Jesus spent some days in Tarichea was that he wanted to give time to his future apostles to listen to what Andrew and Saturnino were telling them about him and to understand each other.
I saw that Andrew, while Jesus was in the region, stayed at home and wrote with a kind of reed letters on scrolls of bark. You could roll the writing with a piece of wood.
I saw that men and young people often came home looking for work and that André used them as messengers. He sent these letters to Philip and his brother-in-law, Jonathan, and Peter and others in Gennebris, telling them that Jesus was going to Capernaum on the Sabbath and quoting them there. A man from Capernaum came to Andrew and begged Jesus to go, for a man from Kadesh had been waiting for him for a long time. Jesus went with Andrew, Saturn, Obed, and other disciples of John to Capernaum. This city was not by the sea, but at one time, and south of a mountain that formed a valley to the west of the sea, where the Jordan flowed into the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were walking apart. And Andrew went out to meet him on the way, with his brother Jonathan and Philip, who had come for the letters; but they did not find Jesus. Andrew spoke vividly of everything he had seen and heard about Jesus and asserted that he was really the Messiah they were expecting. If they wanted to follow him, they didn't have to walk on many tracks. If they listened to him and desired him in their hearts, he would speak a word or a sign to them and they would follow him safely.
Mary and the holy women were not at Capernaum, but at Mary's house, which was in the valley opposite the city to the sea, and there they celebrated the feast. The sons of Mary of Cleopas, James the elder, and his brother John, and Peter, and other disciples, had already arrived from Gennesboris. Nathaniel Chased, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew were not there, but instead there were other relatives and friends of the Holy Family who were invited to the wedding at Cana and were celebrating the Sabbath there because they had heard about Jesus. Jesus was living with Andrew, Saturn, Lazarus, Obed, and other John's disciples in the home belonging to the bridegroom of Cana, Nathanael, whose parents had died, leaving him a rich legacy. The disciples who came from Gennebris were somewhat retreating, for they were doubtful of the authority of Nathanael Chased and the admirable things that Andrew and Jesus' other disciples were telling; partly their cortex and partly Andrew's saying that it was enough to hear his doctrine to make them feel moved to follow him. For two days this man waited there at Kadesh for the Savior. He went to Jesus and fell at his feet, saying, "I am the servant of a man from Kadesh."
His master begged him to come to his house and heal his leper son, who was suffering from a leprosy and was demon - possessed. This was a faithful servant, and he sharply exposed his master's pain. Jesus told him that he could not go with him, but that he would come to his son's aid because he was innocent. He told the servant that his master lay down with his arms outstretched over his son's body, say some things in prayer, and that the leprosy would fall. Jesus added that he, the servant, would also lie down on the boy and blow on him, and that a blue vapor would come out of the boy and he would be free from the mucus. Then I had a vision: the father and the servant did as he was commanded, and the boy was cured of his sickness. There were special reasons in this Jesus' command that the father and the servant should lie down on the sick boy. The servant was actually the boy's father, which you did not know, while Jesus knew him. Both of you should have removed a guilt that weighed on the innocent boy. The city of Kadesh was about six hours from Capernaum, on the outskirts of Tyre, west of Paneas; it had been the capital of the Canaanites and now a refuge where prisoners pursued by justice could hide. And it bordered with the county of Kabul, and the villages which Solomon gave to the king of Tyre.
I saw this region always dark, sinister, which Jesus avoided when he went to Tyre and Sidon. There were robberies and break-ins. When Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a large crowd gathered there, including relatives and friends. To them, his teaching was very new and appealing. He spoke of the nearness of God's kingdom, of the light that must not be put under the sparkle, of the parable of the sower and the mustard seed. These were not the parables we read in the Gospels today: the applications were very different, depending on the case. The parables were brief comparisons, from which Jesus soon extended his teachings and doctrine. I've heard many other parables, which are not in the Gospels, and those that are I used with new applications. After the Sabbath, Jesus went with his disciples to a small place called a place of rest. There were trees at the entrance and in the valley itself. The sons of Zebedee, and the sons of Mary Cleopas, and Philip, another disciple, who was somewhat reserved and humble, were with him. I wondered if he would be able to go too. Suddenly he turned to Jesus and said to him, "Follow me". Then Philip, filled with joy, went with him. There were about twelve of them. Jesus spoke under a tree about his following and the mission he expected to accomplish. Andrew was very jealous, and he was so excited and wished that all the others would be so persuaded of Jesus' messianicity that he was very glad that Jesus' preaching on the Sabbath had pleased all: he had a heart so full of love and zeal that he would tell others again what he had seen and heard at Jesus' baptism and the other marvels he had witnessed. I heard Jesus say that they would see even greater things, swearing by heaven, and immediately speaking of his mission and his eternal Father. Jesus also spoke to them about his followers. When he called them, they left everything and followed him. I told them he'd take care of them and they'd be fine. Now they could continue to do their jobs; that before the Passover approached, he had to do other things before calling them; that when he called them, they were ready to leave everything unconcerned. These things were told him in response to certain questions that had been directed at him: How should they behave with their relatives, for example, Peter, who said that he could not for the time being leave his elderly stepfather, Philip's uncle. All these difficulties he solved by saying that he did not think of calling them before Passover; that they would be separating from their jobs as far as their heart permitted; that they could continue in them as long as he did not call them, and that they would seek to get out of the way as soon as possible to be ready. Then he went with them across the valley to the house where Mary lived, between Capernaum and Bethsaida. Jesus' immediate relatives followed him, for his mother was also with Mary. Early the next day Jesus went to Cana with his disciples and relatives. Mary and the holy women followed the shortest path in the same direction: a narrow path, sometimes between mountains. Women preferred to walk these paths because they could be more alone; by the way,
I saw that they did not need long paths because the women walked in lines, one after the other. In front and behind, some distance away, there was a guide. They had to make a seven-hour journey to Midday and the west. Jesus went with his disciples to Gennebris, which was a wider and more comfortable road to walk united and be able to teach. Sometimes Jesus would keep quiet, point something out, or explain.
Jesus' journey was further south than Mary's, and it took about six hours from Capernaum to Gennebris; from there he turned eastward about three hours to Cana of Galilee. Gennebris was a beautiful city; it had a synagogue and a school and some kind of academy to teach speech and there was a lot of commerce there. Nathanael had his office at the entrance of the city where other houses were. Nathanael did not go to the city, although his disciples and friends urged him. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, and he was eating with some of his disciples at the home of a rich Pharisee. Other disciples were already on their way. Jesus told Philip to go to Nathanael and bring him to him as they walked. They treated Jesus with great respect and asked him to stay longer and to have compassion on the sick, since he was their neighbor. But Jesus left early for Cana.
Meanwhile, Philip had come to the home of Nathanael. There were some more of the scribes. Nathanael was sitting at his table, in a room on the top of the house. Philip had never spoken of Jesus to Nathanael because he had not been with others at Gennebris. He was well known to Nathanael and spoke enthusiastically of Jesus: that he was the Messiah of whom prophecies spoke; that they had finally found Jesus the son of Joseph, of Nazareth. Nathanael was a cheerful, lively, determined man and attached to his way of thinking, though sincere and without falsehood. "What good can come from Nazareth?" he asked. "Nazareth is notorious for contradictory people, with little foundation in science, and its schools are not known". Nathanael thought, "A man trained in the school of Nazareth may be able to satisfy the poor and ordinary inhabitants of that region, but not to satisfy his longing to know what he felt". Philip told him that it would be best to go, see and examine him; that now he would meet him on the way to Cana. Then Nathanael and Philip went down the short road, separating them from the main road that Jesus was to follow, and there, indeed, Jesus found some of his disciples in the middle, silent at that moment. Philip was now, after Jesus said to him, "Follow me", very happy and confident, compared with before, who was showing himself shy, and so he cried out! When Jesus saw him, he said, "Teacher, I have brought the man who said,' What good can come out of Nazareth? ' Jesus said to his disciples, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit. " Nathanael replied", How do you know me? "What was it to say, 'How do you know that I am without falsehood and without lying since you have never seen me before?'?" Jesus said, "Before Philip called you,
I saw you when you were under the fig tree". As he said this, Jesus looked at him with a look that penetrated his conscience, making him remember something. Then he awoke to the memory that Jesus was the one who had passed by and had been directed to him before with a warning look that infused him with strange strength to resist a temptation that he had had had had while he was standing on a fig tree, in a place of hot bath, when he looked at the place where there were beautiful women playing on the fruit side. The force of that rectangular look and the conviction of a strange force, which had awakened him, had caused him to confess, and Jesus' thought, and his mind, as he read and his mind and thought, was so deeply disturbed that Jesus could not see the truth, and his heart was so deep and so pure that he could not hear the words of the Lord Jesus. You are the King of Israel. " Jesus replied, "Because I told you
I saw you under the fig tree, you believe. I tell you the truth, you will see greater things than these. " Then he looked at his fellow disciples and said", I tell you, the truth, I will tell you, you will find heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man". The other apostles did not understand the meaning of Jesus' words about the fig tree, and they could not understand it then because Nathanael Chased could soon change his mind about Jesus, and the rest were kept hidden as a matter of conscience. Only John was spoken of by Nathanael himself at the wedding in Cana. Nathanael asked Jesus if he should immediately leave everything and follow him: he said he had a brother whom he wanted, in that case, to quit his job. Jesus replied to him as he had told the other apostles yesterday and suddenly invited him to a wedding in Cana. After this Jesus and his disciples went to Cana, while Nathanael returned home to prepare for the journey to Cana, where he arrived the next morning.
The Wedding at Cana
Cana was located west of a hill; it was a beautiful, clean city, a little smaller than Capernaum. There's a synagogue there with three priests. Nearby was the house with a hallway, adorned with leaves and branches where the wedding was to be held. From this house to the synagogue were hangings of leaves and bows with branches, flowers and fruits. The room between the hall and the fireplace of the house would be used as a banquet hall. This house, made of a high wall, was adorned like an altar with vessels and gifts for the groom, had an extension still behind, where the women would hold the wedding feasts separately from the men. From there you could see the beams of the house adorned with crowns and flowers on which you could climb to light the suspended lamps.
When Jesus and his disciples arrived, his mother Mary and the parents of the bride and the bridegroom and others who had gone before him received him with great reverence, and they went out to meet him at a distance from the house. Jesus stayed with some of his most faithful ones, who later became his apostles, in a separate house that the sister of the bridegroom's mother had put at his disposal; this woman was a daughter of Sobhuza, sister of Santa Ana. During the wedding parties she went there at the house as the groom's mother.
The bride's father was named Israel and was from the line of Ruth of Bethlehem. This was a chief man, with a great trade of lodging houses, to rent and feed travelers and their animals, for he occupied a place of transit frequented by caravans; and he had other servants under his command. The prosperity and riches of the city were almost all in the hands of Israel and its high officials, the rest living off the work that Israel provided them. The bride's mother was a little limp, roaring on one side and needed help walking. From Galilee all the relatives of Anne and Joachim were gathered together, about a hundred people.
From Jerusalem came Mary Mark, John, Mark, Obed and Veronica. Jesus, in turn, brought about twenty-five guests to the wedding. When the Child Jesus was twelve years old, having a meal at the house of Anne, when he was returning from the temple, he spoke then to this bridegroom and said to him some mysterious words about bread and wine, and that he would one day be present at their weddings; but his presence at these weddings had, besides the mysterious and significant as all his works on earth, a sense of social convenience and consideration. Several times she had sent messengers to Jesus, asking him to attend the wedding. There was a little chatter among relatives and friends of the Holy Family: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a desolate and abandoned widow; Jesus walked everywhere, taking little or no care of his mother and family. So Jesus wanted to attend that wedding and give him a witness of his love and respect.
This marriage, then, was considered by Jesus as a matter that looked to his mother and as a thing of his, and so Mary was there for hours helping with the details of the preparations as a thing her own. Jesus would attend the feast on his own. Jesus had promised to provide the wine to the guests, and Mary's request was thus explained when she saw that the wine was lacking. Jesus had also mentioned Lazarus and Martha for this wedding, and Martha helped Mary with the preparations. Lazarus was the one who should provide the part Jesus had committed himself to, and only Mary knew that. Jesus had complete confidence in Lazarus.
Jesus had received all that Lazarus was giving thanks to him and he was happy to give: so Lazarus was, until the last moment, the treasurer of the Christian community. There he was treated as an honorary guest by the bride and groom, and Lazarus was generous with whatever was needed. Lazarus was fine and delicate in his way of being, serious, quiet and very reserved in all his manifestations; he did not talk much, and looked with inner affection at Jesus so that he lacked nothing. In addition to the wine, Jesus had taken on his own to provide some special foods, fruits, birds of various kinds, and vegetables. All of this had already been provided. Veronica brought from Jerusalem a basket of admirable flowers and a candy-making artwork. Jesus was there as head and head of the feast. He himself directed the various entertainments, encouraging them with helpful teachings. He was the distributor of the order at that feast and said that everyone should rejoice according to custom and customs and have fun, but that from everything they should seek to extract science and teaching. Among other things, he said that twice a day they should leave the house and recreate themselves in open air.
So I saw at these parties men and women go apart, each to another, to a beautiful garden and there they entertain themselves in conversation and playful games.
I saw, for example, men sitting on the floor, on wheels, while in the middle there were all kinds of fruits and, according to certain rules, they threw those fruits at each other so that they would fall into certain holes, which others tried to avoid.
I saw Jesus himself take part in this fruit game with moderate joy: He often said a word full of meaning, even smiling, something that everyone admired; sometimes they received it in silence, others with commotion and by certain words asked for an explanation to the most understanding. Jesus had ordered the way these games were played and determined the winners, encouraging everyone with references and warnings as appropriate. The younger ones enjoyed running and jumping on fruit-woven branches and shoots. The women also enjoyed themselves with fruit, while the bride sat with Mary and the bridegroom's aunt. Later, a kind of dance was organized: children played instruments and sang choirs. All the dancers had handkerchiefs, with which the young men and women touched each other while dancing sometimes in rows and sometimes in more closed rows. Without these sheets, you never touched. For the groom and bride, these were black sheets; for the others, they were yellow. First the groom and the bride danced alone, and then they all joined together. The young women wore veils, though slightly raised; before their faces; their robes were long behind them, and in front of them they had something gathered with a web. These dances were not just jumps and pranks, like between us: they were rather a walk accompanied by lines of various classes, while moving to the beat of the music with their hands, head and body. I remembered the movements of the Pharisees when they prayed; everything was decent and pleasant together. None of the future apostles danced; but Nathanael Chased, Obed, Jonathan, and other disciples did. The dancers were all young and all proceeded in order and joy with a happy rest. With the disciples who would later be his apostles Jesus spoke privately, often in these days when others were not present, sometimes walking around with his disciples and guests as he taught, and these future apostles immediately communicated his teachings to others. These excursions and walks also served to enable them to make the preparations for the feasts without hindrance. At other times the disciples were with Jesus and were ordering them to do this or that. There were some who had to arrange something for the bridegroom. Jesus wished that at this solemn feast everyone could get to know him, relatives and friends, and that all whom he had hitherto chosen would be gathered together and get to know each other and treat each other openly. Also in the synagogue where the guests were gathered, Jesus spoke of the allowed joy and the lawful joy, its meaning, its measure, its seriousness, and the science that should govern these entertainments. He spoke of marriage, of man and woman, of continence and purity and of spiritual weddings. At the conclusion of this teaching the bride and groom moved on, and Jesus spoke words of teaching and exhortation to each one in particular. On the third day after Jesus' arrival, the wedding took place at 9 a.m. The bride was dressed and adorned by the virgins. Her robes were like those of Mary at her wedding, and the presentation they had placed on her, which was even richer. His hair was not divided into thin braids, but into thicker lines and groups. When her ornament was complete, she was shown to Mary and the other women who were there. From the synagogue came people who were supposed to take the bride-to-be from the house to the synagogure. In the courts were six boys and six girls wearing interlocking crowns; then six young men and older women with musical instruments and flutes. They wore something like wings on their backs. And they were with the bride twelve young men as guides, and the bridegroom twelve young women. Among these were Obed, the son of Veronica, the nephews of Joseph of Arimathea, Nathanael Chased, and some of John's disciples; none of the future apostles. The wedding was held by the priests in front of the synagogue. The rings that were exchanged were received by the groom as a gift from Mary, and Jesus blessed them in Mary's hands. I was amazed at a ceremony I did not see at Mary's wedding to Joseph: the priest wounded with a cutting instrument on the ring finger and let two drops of the bridegroom's and the bride's blood dip into a glass full of wine, which they took, then gave the glass to the others. After that, some cloths, clothes, and various items were distributed to the poor. When the couple were accompanied to his home, Jesus welcomed them there. Before the wedding meal I saw all the guests gathered again in the park. The girls and women were sitting under a branch roof and playing with fruit; they in turn had an instrument like a triangular board on the skirts with letters or signs on the edges, and as the sign moved like a minute pointer on the board, they had the right to certain types and quantities of fruit. (Sort of like roulette). For men I saw, disposed by Jesus himself, a kind of game that caused me admiration. In the center of the house was a round table with many portions of flowers, herbs, and fruits arranged on the edges, in the same quantity as the men who played. These fruits and herbs had been ordered beforehand by Jesus himself according to their intimate meaning for each of the presenters. On the table was a device consisting of a disc with a hole. When the disc was moved by a player, where the hole-marked spot was still, over a certain portion of fruit or grass, this was the player's gain. And there was a vine in the midst of the table, full of grapes, and on a bundle of thorns round about it; and the more the table was turned, the more the vine and the bundle of wheat rose up. The future apostles did not play these games, nor did Lazarus, and I received the warning and explanation: those who already have a vocation to teach or know something better than others should not play like others, but observe the course of the game and animate the movements of the game with useful applications, to turn the gambler into something useful and profitable. But there was more to this game than the chance of winning: the fruits or objects that they drew from the lottery matched their good or bad qualities very well, and Jesus had ordered these fruits according to that meaning. Each gain was linked to a teaching from Jesus, and I saw that everyone really received something inner meaning from these fruits. The marvelous thing was that as Jesus spoke this word to each one, he felt improved and warned, either by the Word of Jesus or by the taste of the fruit that really passed its meaning to the taster; but in such a way that the others understood nothing, and Jesus' comments were only celebrated as said to cheer the competition. Each felt a deep look at Jesus within them; just as Nathanael felt him when he was under the tree and hurt him without others noticing. I remember well that between what Nathanael won was the residual plant, and that Jesus said to Nathanael Chased: "Do you see now that I was right in saying that you are a true Israelite, without falsehood?" It was red, white on the inside, with colorful stripes; of these fruits I have seen in the earthly paradise I remember that everyone was amazed when the groom got this fruit, and that Jesus spoke of marriage and chastity, which was like a multiple fruit. All this he said in such a way that he did not hurt the Jewish ideas about marriage, but that some disciples, including James, the Minor, who was a Essene, understood them more deeply.
I saw that the presenters marveled more at this luck given to the newlyweds than at the others. Jesus said something like, "they could have this luck and these fruits produce even greater goods than they can represent by themselves". When the groom received this fruit for himself and his bride, and they liked it,
I saw that they moved within them and pale, and then I saw a dark cloud come out of their interior, so that they seemed to me then clearer and more transparent than they were before. The woman, who was a little far away from the women, also fainted and fainted as she tasted the fruit of her lot. I saw a dark cloud coming out of her. This fruit of the newlyweds had to do with the virtue of chastity and continence. In this game, besides the lottery that fell to each, the favored had to fulfill certain penances or satisfactions.
So I saw that the newlyweds had to go to the synagogue and bring something from there according to some prayers. The weed that Nathaniel chased around was a sour plant. In all the other disciples who took some of these fruits or herbs and tasted them, I saw that their own passions rose up in them, resisted some, and soon gave in strength or found themselves more strongly graces to resist them.
Reflections on fruits and herbs. The wedding food.
There is a supernatural mystery in all the fruits and herbs of nature; a mystery which after the fall of man darkened and remained as a natural secret to man. This mystery and its effects remained in the fruits and herbs only an idea today of the importance, shape, taste, and natural effects of these creations.
I saw in my visions these fruits and herbs being placed on the tables of heaven according to the significance and properties they had before the fall of man; but I did not see it so clearly because it is all so perverted and distorted in our being and understanding, that we cannot comprehend these supernatural things in our present earthly way of living. When the woman fainted from the taste of the fruit, some of her heavy garments were removed, as were some of her rings. Among others, one was removed with a funnel-shaped thumb, which was inserted like a needle. Chains and brooms were also removed from her arms and chest to relieve her. Then he wanted to keep only the ring that Mary gave him on his left finger and a golden pendant around his neck that had the shape of an outstretched bow. In the middle of this ornament was a somewhat dark mass, like the ring of Mary and Joseph, and engraved a cast figure looking at a flower bud that stood in front of it.
After those games in the garden followed the wedding meal. The place was a luxurious room whose interior had been divided into three departments, so that the guests reclining at the tables could see one another. In each of these departments there was a long, narrow table. Jesus was in the central room, at the top of the table, setting his feet on the ornate fireplace. At the same table were Israel, the bride's father, Jesus' relatives, the bridegroom, and Lazarus. The other guests and the disciples sat down at the side tables.
The women took a space behind them so they could hear all of Jesus' words. The bridegroom served at tables, although there was a master of the room with a forklift, who had several servants under his command. At the women's tables the bride was served, assisted by several young women. And when the food was brought, they brought a roasted lamb before Jehovah; and his legs were bound in the form of a cross. When the groom brought a small box to the trench, Jesus told the groom to remember that meal they had made as children after Easter, where he told him a marriage comparison and told him that one day he would be at his own wedding. That has been accomplished, he said, today. The groom became very serious and thoughtful with this memory: he had forgotten that memory of his childhood and the words he heard then. Jesus was there at the same meal as at all the festivals, very pleasant and festive, but always full of teaching. At each banquet ceremony he gave his spiritual explanation. He spoke of the sound joy and expansion of the feasts: he said that a bow should not always be stretched out and that the earth needed its rain to keep it from drying out. He said that in parables.
When Jesus broke the Lamb, he said wonderful things. He spoke, as he was tearing apart the parts of the Lamb among the fold, of his election, not for pleasure, but to die. He spoke of baking, of leaving the uncleanness by the fire of purification and the section of each part of the Lamb; that so those who wanted to follow the Lamb should turn away from the fleshly and kinship affections. When he had broken the pieces and had eaten, he said: "To those who are far away and have been separated from the passions of the flesh, the Lamb will be a link and a common meal. He who follows the Lamb must not forsake his field and his passions, but must be separated from his family and become one food and a meal of union with the Lamb and his Eternal Father". Each diners had a plate before them and Jesus put a dark-colored fountain with yellow edges that went from one to the other.
I saw Jesus sometimes holding a weed in his hand and teaching some. Jesus had taken over the second plate of food as well as the wine, and everything was prepared by Mary and Martha. When the second plate was brought, which consisted of birds, fish, honey, fruits and some kind of cake that Veronica had brought, Jesus stood up and broke them into small pieces. Then he sat down again. Food was served, but wine began to run out. Jesus was busy teaching. When the virgin Mary saw that the wine was gone, she went to Jesus and remembered that he had promised to give her the wine. Jesus, speaking at that time of His heavenly Father, answered Mary: "Do not be alarmed, woman, do not be alarged or bring this to me; my hour has not yet come". These words did not end with a harsh answer to his mother, Mary. He said "woman" and not "Mother" because at that moment, as Messiah and son of God, he was fulfilling a mysterious mission before the disciples and all his relatives and was there in his divine greatness.
In these times when Jesus as the incarnate Word was at work, the one who was named by what he was was more honored and was being enfeebled in his work by being called by what he is, as a dignity and a position. So Mary was the woman who had borne the one who was there and to whom the wine was appealed, and she meant to say that he was the son of God more than the son of Mary. As Jesus was on the cross and Mary wept for him, he said: "Woman, here is your son", pointing to John. When Jesus said that he was going to think of the wine, Mary did her job as a mediator and intercessor and reminded him of the lack of wine. The wine he wanted to give was more than wine in the natural sense: it referred to the mystery of the wine that he would turn into his blood. So he said, "My time has not yet come". First, to make wine my own, second, to turn water into wine, and third, to turn wine into my blood. From that time on, Mary was no longer concerned about the lack of wine, but had prayed to her Son. "Whatever he tells you", she said to the servants. It was the same as when Christ's wife, the Church, pleads: "Lord, Your sons have no wine"; and Jesus answers her: "Church, do not be anxious; do not lose your peace; my hour has not yet come". It's as if the church is telling its priests, "Do whatever he tells you, because he's going to help you". Mary told the servants to do everything Jesus told them. After a moment, he sent his servants to bring him empty vessels. And they brought them, three for water, and three for wine; and they showed them that they were empty, for they turned them over to a fountain.
Jesus commanded the six to fill with water. They were taken to a well, which had a cave with a stone pool and a pump. The containers were large and heavy, made of boiled clay. If one was full, it took two men to carry it by the hips. They had several pipes from top to bottom covered with cranes. When the liquid was at a certain height, the other clutch was open to take advantage of the rest. These containers were not raised to empty them, but only slightly tilted, placed on a pedestal. Jesus' answer was aloud, as was the order to the servants. When these vessels, filled with water, were brought to the master of the room, Jesus got up and went there; he blessed the vessels, and when he sat down again on his seat, he said: "Serve them and bring a cup to the master". When the master tasted the wine, he went to the bridegroom and said, 'It is customary to bring the best wine first, and when the guests are in a state of low contentment, the lesser; but now the best.' He did not know that this wine had been provided by Jesus, nor that he had taken charge of this whole second part of the meal.
Only the Holy Family and the married family knew this. When the bridegroom and the bride's father drank the wine, they were astonished, and the servants said they had only poured water into the jars. Then they all drank the wine. No noise was made about the prodigy: only a silent admiration was noticed in all the guests. Jesus taught many things about this miracle. He said, "The world gives its followers first strong wine, so that they become drunk, and then bad wine; but this is not the way of the kingdom which my heavenly Father has given me to found. Here pure water is turned into fine wine, so the spirit's boiling must be turned into generous and zealous". He also spoke of the meal he made when he returned from the temple at the age of twelve with some of the presenters and how he had then spoken of bread and wine, and a comparison of weddings where the water of lukewarmness would turn into wine of enthusiasm and fervor, and that this had just been fulfilled there. So he told them they would see even greater miracles. He added that he would celebrate some passover feasts and that at the last of them wine would become blood and bread flesh, and he would remain with men until the last days to comfort and encourage them; he also told them that they would see things in him that if he told them now, they would not believe. All these things he did not say so clearly, but with veiled parables, which I now do not remember, but the meaning was what I said. They heard with admiration and a certain strangeness.
I saw that when everyone tasted the wine, their feelings were changed, not by the wonder of the miracle, but also by the effect of the wine itself, as had previously happened with the taste of the fruit: they received an inner strength and a healthy change in their affections. All his disciples, his relatives and all present were now convinced of his power, his dignity and his supernatural mission they believed in him, and that belief in him became general. Everyone felt better and united those who had enjoyed the miracle wine. That is why it was considered this as his first solemn appearance in his community and this was the first miracle and sign he gave to her and to her, to strengthen her in faith, and that is why this miracle is counted as the first in its history, as the institution of the Eucharist was the last for those who already believed in him.
The conclusion of the wedding at Cana
At the conclusion of the wedding feast the groom approached Jesus alone, and spoke to him with humility, and declared to him: as all his passions had settled; and he no longer felt desires, and proposed to live in contentment with his wife, if she would consent; and having come the wife, saying the same to Jesus, called them both and spoke to them of marriage and purity that so pleases God and of the manifold fruits of chastity and of the Spirit. He spoke of many prophets and saints, people who had lived in chastity and offered their flesh to God the Father, and that these acquired spiritual sons, turning them into lost men, those who had led to goodness, and that this seed is holy and great. He explained all this by using the parable of the sower and the reaping. They then took a vow of chastity and of living as brothers for three years. And they bowed themselves before Jehovah, and he blessed them.
The priests were present, but since they saw the marvel at the weddings, they showed humility. On the Sabbath, Jesus twice taught in the synagogue at Cana. He spoke of the wedding feasts, the obedience, and the godly feelings of the spouses. When he left the synagogue, he was surrounded by people kneeling before him and begging him to have compassion on the sick. He's been doing two miraculous healings here. A man had fallen from a tower, had died, and had all his limbs torn apart. Jesus approached him, repaired his limbs, touched the broken pieces they presented, and sent him home. This he did with great joy after giving thanks to his Savior. This man had a wife and children. Then he was led to a man possessed by demons who was angry and was bound to a stone. Jesus delivered him from the devil and his snares. He also healed several gout-eating people and a sinful, water-dropping woman. There were seven he healed. People had not been able to come to the wedding parties before, and as they heard that after Saturday he was to retire, they no longer wanted to stop. The priests, after seeing the miracle of the wedding, let him do it, and these healings were done in their presence. The disciples were not present.
Jesus went to Capernaum and the lake of Gennesaret
Jesus went to Capernaum and the lake of Gennesaret. After the Sabbath evening Jesus and his disciples went to Capernam. The husband of Cana, his father, and others followed him along a stretch of road. The poor of the town had received much at the wedding in Cana. Nothing that had once been served was kept, but it was then given to the poor.
I saw that she was cooking before Saturday because they were coming two days of fasting. All fires were extinguished and the unnecessary windows were closed. The wealthy had places in their homes where they kept food warm under the ashes. These fasts were observed by Jesus in Capernaum, where he also taught in the synagogue. Twice a day they brought the sick to him, and he healed them and comforted them. The disciples of Bethsaida returned to their homes and partly returned. Jesus went around teaching; he spent the rest of his time with his mother. Jesus sent Andrew, Saturn, Aaron, Themenius and Eustace to be baptized at the watercourse by the Jordan where John had been baptizing. Jesus went with them a little way and then went to Bethulia, where he taught and healed the sick. From there he walked seven or eight hours northwest from Capernaum to Hanathon, where there was a hill with a place to teach. The hill had a slope that went up for an hour; and a place was set up over it to teach: a stone seat, surrounded by palms, upon which they could spread out linen to protect themselves from the sun and the rain. Under this roof could fit a crowd of people. After each class, new listeners came. On the hill slope were three other hills, among them the one of the Beatitudes. From where Jesus was now teaching, a great view was uncovered: the Sea of Galilee at his feet and the vicinity of Nazareth. This mountain was partly cultivated and sown; the highest height, where Jesus taught, with no cultivation at all. The surrounding area was surrounded by walls whose remains were discovered at that time: they looked like remains of towers.
On the outskirts of the mountain were the villages of Hanathon, Bethanat, and Nejel, which gave the idea that in other times they might have formed a great city. Jesus had only three disciples: a son of the aunt of the husband of Cana, a son of another widow, and a brother born to Peter named Jonathan. These called the people to the mountain to hear Jesus. Jesus spoke of the various spirits of men, of each place, of each family, and of the Spirit that they would receive by baptism, by which they would be united in repentance, mortification, and reparation to unite with the heavenly Father. He told them how they could know to what degree they would receive the Holy Spirit at baptism. He also taught about the Lord. I was impressed that he explained each of the requests, since he had not yet taught this prayer. These teachings lasted from noon until evening, when he came down from there and went to Bethany, where he spent the night. The night before was spent in Hanathon. The next day, he went towards the sea. Five other disciples of John were added to Bethany, who were from Apheka, the hometown of Thomas, on the Mediterranean. They were with John a long time ago. About noon Jesus and his disciples were standing on a hill between the Jordan and Bethsaida, about a half hour from the lake. They had the view of the lake ahead of them and looked at Peter, John, and James, as they were in their boats on the lake. Peter had a large boat, where several of his pedestrians were and he sailed in another smaller one governed by himself. John and James had a large boat and other small ones and were with their father.
I saw Andrew's little boat, among Zebedee's boats. Andrew was in Jordan at this time. When the disciples saw the friends at the lake, they wanted to go and invite them. Jesus told them not to go. "How can these men sail and fish, " they asked". They have seen and heard what you are doing? " Jesus replied", I have not yet called them, for they have a great trade, and many men and families live by it. I have told them to do this and prepare themselves for me, for I have many things to do, and I must go up to the Passover Feast in Jerusalem". On the western side of the mountain were twenty-six rooms, mostly of fishermen and peasants. When Jesus came in, one of the people who were following him was haunted and said, "Here is the man from whom we must flee. He is the Prophet". Soon other possessed people surrounded him, shouting and getting angry. The crowd increased with the possessed ones. Jesus told them to keep quiet and follow him. So he went up on a mountain and began to teach.
There were over a hundred people among the possessed and their companions. He spoke of evil spirits, how they should be fought, and how to improve life. The possessed were released: they were quiet, weeping, thanking and saying they did not know what had happened to them. These miserable people were brought from various places in the region, because the people had heard that a Prophet was coming, as holy as Moses. They would have lost Jesus if one of them hadn't let go and screamed at the Prophet. Jesus returned to where His holy Mother was, between Bethsaida and Capernaum. The first of these cities was near this mountain, a little further north. At noon, as the Sabbath approached, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. They celebrated another special feast for Tobias, who had been there and had done the region a great deal of good. He had left goods in the synagogue and school; so Jesus also spoke of the duty of gratitude. After Saturday, he was reunited with his mother, with whom he had a private evening. He spoke of his future travels; that he was now going to the Jordan, to Jerusalem for the Passover, and that he would later call the apostles and openly begin his public life. He said that in Nazareth they would persecute him. It alluded to her future work and mission, and how she and the other holy women should take part in everything. There was then in Mary's house an old woman, the same poor widow who had been sent by St. Anne to the cave of Bethlehem. She was already so old that instead of serving Mary, she was cared for. Jesus went to the Jordan with eight disciples. They began walking before sunrise east of the lake and came back to the hill from where they saw the boats of the future apostles. To cross the Jordan, which ran on a deep bed, they crossed a steep bridge half an hour before the river rushed into the lake. On the other side, in a corner facing the sea, there was a small fishing village, where you could see many stretched nets: it was called Little Corazín. An hour's drive north was Bethsaida-Julias. Corazín the Great was a few hours east of the sea. That's where the publican Matthew lived. Jesus walked east of the river up and stayed in Hippos that night.
The next morning he went through Gadara and delivered a demon - possessed man from the city. They dragged him out with ropes, but he got out and began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, where are you going? Jesus, where are You driving us out? " Jesus told the demon to shut up and come out of him. A few hours after Gadar, Jesus approached the Jordan, crossed over and headed west, leaving Scythopolis on the left. And he came by mount Hermon to Jezreel, a city west of the plain of Esdrelon. There Jesus publicly healed many sick people in front of the synagogue; yet he stood only a few hours. Magdalene, who had come to see Jesus, was no longer there. He only heard the wonders of the healing sick. There the two sisters separated, and Madeleine returned to her castle at Magdala. Then I saw Jesus in Hay, not far from Bethel and the place of baptism, nine hours away. This village had been destroyed and then rebuilt, smaller; it was quite hidden. Jesus taught and healed some sick people. Some of the local Pharisees were there when Jesus was twelve years old and was having fun in the temple. They were saying, "He sat down among the disciples in a synagogue of the wise and reasoned with them. He asked them, as if he wanted to know what he should do to his opponents. 'What do you think? Tell us, when will the Messiah come? '" With these and other questions he attracted them and baffled them, pretending to know everything better than they did. They asked him if he was, by chance, that boy back then.
Jesus orders baptism in the Jordan
Jesus then goes to the former place where John was baptizing, about three hours from Jericho, by the Jordan. Andrew and the other disciples went out to meet him about an hour later. There were some of John's disciples and others from Nazareth.
Some went to the small place called Attica, an hour from the place of baptism, to warn that Jesus would observe the Sabbath there and heal the sick. They told the people that Jesus was completing John's teachings with greater force and clarity after John had set the foundations of doctrine.
Before Ono Jesus had prepared his own hostel half an hour away from the place of baptism. Lazarus had bought it, setting up a man to receive Jesus and his family and to prepare a meal for them. This hostel was used when Jesus walked through these countryside and from there he could go to the neighboring countrysides to teach and baptize. On the Sabbath Jesus began teaching in the synagogue and healed many of the sick, including a woman who had a fever. Herod had often met John in recent times, who always treated him as an adulterer, not covering up his sin. Herod felt his guilt within him; but the woman was angry with John. and Jesus kept on speaking about him. No one else was baptizing, but he sent them across the Jordan to the place where Jesus and his disciples were. For the disciples sent from Cana to the place of baptism by Jesus' command, many things had changed there, and in all things now they proceeded with greater solemnity and order than in the days of John.
The river had been crossed by another place further away by the crowds flocking and the fountain and the rest done by John had been removed. The place where Andrew, Saturnino, and other disciples were now baptizing at Jesus' command was the same place where Jesus was baptized, the small island that had sprung up in the Jordan, on which a large pavilion had been erected. While Jesus taught and prepared the people, these apostles baptized. Also the spring where Jesus had been baptized had been reformed: the five hidden channels that carried the water to the Jordan were now uncovered, and the four large stones removed, as well as the red-colored, triangular stone where Jesus had stood during His baptism when the Holy Spirit came down upon him. All these stones have been moved to the new location. Only Jesus and John knew that the place of baptism marked the place of the Ark of the Covenant and that the stones in the spring were those where the Ark had rested in the Jordan.
Neither Jesus nor John told the disciples about this. In the same way, only Jesus knew that the stones were now the foundation of the new Baptism. The Jews had long forgotten the exact place where the stones were, and they said nothing to the disciples. Andrew had dug into that triangular stone a round spring, which rested on the four stones in a well full of water, surrounding the triangular rock like a water fence. In these waters the water of Jesus' baptism had mixed. The water from the triangular stone was from the same source, and Jesus had blessed it. And when the baptisers went down into the water, the water came into the breast, into the fence round about the triangular stone.
Next to this baptistery was an altar of some kind, and on top were white robes for the baptisers. Two disciples placed their hands on the shoulder of the baptizer, and Andrew or Saturnino, and sometimes another of the disciples baptized with water taken from the basin of the stone with his empty hand, pouring it three times upon the head of the baptizing man, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Those who baptized and those who laid their hands on their shoulders wore long white robes with bands; long white bands hung from their shoulters, like stools.
The triple immersion baptism I saw only begin at Lake Bethesda. Above the baptismal fountain on the roof was an opening; the baptisman and the stepfather were placed at the corner of the stone; they baptized him to the sides. Jesus was teaching, however, in a raised seat, and when the heat made it necessary, a cloth was put up in the place. He preached about baptism, repentance, the nearness of the kingdom of God and the Messiah; and where they had to seek and recognize it, not among the great and powerful, but among the small and the poor. He called this baptism a purification; John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He spoke of another baptism, of fire and of the Spirit, which would follow them. The trees and shrubs that John had planted around the island of Jesus' baptism had grown up, their leaves coming together in the form of a peacock. The spring tree emerged beautiful and grown.
On the cup of the same I saw that they had placed a figure representing a boy, with his arms outstretched, who seemed to be born from a vine, and who with one hand distributed yellow apples and with the other, pink flowers. It was a remnant of the ornaments of Jesus' baptism. Jesus and some disciples headed for noon west of the Dead Sea, and he entered a region where Melchizedek had stopped when he measured the Jordan and the surrounding mountains. Melchizedek had brought Abraham's ancestors to this place long before he was born.
Their city was destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. The ruins of the walls and towers of their destroyed city of Hazezon-Thamar could still be seen. This entire region was now a county, with black rocks and dark caves, barren places, stretching about half an hour from the Dead Sea, within the region. Where now the Dead Sea was before the sinking of those wicked cities, the Jordan River. Its width was about a quarter of an hour. The people who inhabited this place were not Jews of race, but slaves of other peoples who passed by, now occupied with field work; they dwelt in caves between the ruined walls. They were very poor, despised, abandoned by others, and they showed humility. They considered Jesus' visit an undeserved grace. They welcomed him, and he healed many of the sick.
Today I saw this region in better condition than in the days of Jesus Christ; but it was originally a fertile and overly beautiful region. In Abraham's time, with the appearance of the Dead Sea, it became a desolate, deserted region that was one of the most beautiful regions of Palestine. A row of villages was lined up on the banks of the then Jordan River, contained by stone walls, and beautiful hills could be seen. Everything was covered with vegetation: vineyards, palm trees, fruit trees, and wheat fields. It was impossible to describe the beauty of that region before the Dead Sea.
The Jordan River was divided into two arms before the Dead Sea existed, under these vanished cities: one went to all kinds of waters, and the other to the wilderness, where the flight to Egypt took place, flowing to the region of Mara, where Moses sweetened the waters and where the ancestors of St. Anne were from. Among those cities there were salt mines; but the waters were sweet and many springs sprang up. Far away in the wilderness, the waters of the Jordan were drunk and held in honor and reverence. Abraham's forefather, whom Melchizedek had transferred there, had already fallen long ago, and Abraham was by another grace of God taken from among his relatives and taken to the Promised Land.
I saw Melchizedek here before the Jordan was established: he measured everything and determined places and places. I saw him come and go; sometimes he brought some men who were like his servants.
After this I saw Jesus and his disciples walking toward Bethlehem, through a stretch of the Shepherd's Valley, toward Beth-Baara, three hours from the place of baptism. He had been to this place before when he visited the shepherds after his baptism. The inhabitants lived by travelers who traveled in caravans through the region; it was four hours from Bethany, on the border of Judah and Benjamin. When Jesus came, many demon - possessed men came running to him, shouting. Jesus ordered them to cover themselves, and within a few minutes everyone put on leaves. Jesus healed them, sent them away, and told the crowd to bring their clothes to cover them. Among these demon-possessed I saw some who were raised high by invisible force.
Andrew and five other disciples had come to this place earlier and announced that Jesus would observe the Sabbath with them. He was lodged in an inn for himself and his family, as there were often certain places for teachers and rabbis who passed teaching.
Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others arrived from Jerusalem. Jesus taught in the synagogue, in an open place, and in various streets. There were many people who could not attend school. He also healed many sick people of various classes. The disciples brought them along and put them in the crowd. Some distance away were Lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea. To the close of the Sabbath Jesus was with his own until Ono. And he went by the way of the little people of Beth-agla, as the children of Israel did when they passed over the Jordan; for they went not through one place, but they went through a great breadth through the narrow riverbed. When they arrived, they put their clothes together, tied the straps.
Jesus came to the Rock, where John had been celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. Lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea returned to Jerusalem. But Nicodemus was not; for he kept himself more secret by his work, and secretly served Jesus and his disciples, and told them all the things that were devised by the enemies of the Lord.
One day I saw it was the New Year's Eve party. In Jerusalem all the workers and workers had a holiday and joy; as it was a sabbath day, there was no baptism either. During the New Year, flags were hung on the roofs of the synagogues with long rods. They were fabrics that we had in certain places so that the wind could blow in and inflate them like balloons. By the number of the knots of the flags, the distant ones could tell which number of the new moon they were on. I also saw similar flags raised in a sign of victory or some danger. Jesus prepared for baptism many people who had gathered since the previous day, and settled around. Today, too, he was not baptized because a feast day was ordained for the death of an ungodly king (Alexander Janeus). The Baptistery looked ornate and beautiful.
The next day Andrew and the other disciples began baptizing those whom Jesus had prepared the day before. Jesus walked with Lazarus, who had returned with Obed the son of Simeon, from the day before evening and with him from the place of baptism early in the morning to the region of Bethlehem, between Bethgalla and Ophrah, westward. Jesus took this path because Lazarus wanted to tell him what was being said about him in Jerusalem, and because he wanted to give him and through him others rules. So they arrived on the way to Bethlehem, about three hours' journey, to a row of shepherd's huts in a remote region.
Lazarus referred to Jesus what was being said about him in Jerusalem; what they were talking about, partly angry, partly mocking, and partly curious; they wanted to see if he was going to the feast of Passover; if then he would be as bold with his miracles in a great city as he was among the ignorant villagers. He also told him what the Pharisees in various places were saying about him and about their espionage. Then Jesus reassured him and pointed out to him the prophets' passages. He told Jesus that he would stay eight days on the other side of the Jordan and then return to Galilee, and that he would go to Jerusalem at the Passover and call his disciples to him immediately.
Speaking of Magdalene, he consoled him by telling him that a spark of salvation had already lit on her, which would soon set her completely on fire. They spent the day among the shepherds' huts, who celebrated them with bread, honey and fruit. There were about twenty elderly women living there, widows of shepherds, with some grown children helping them. His rooms were cells separated by branches that were still growing, and among them were some people who had gone to the manger of Bethlehem to worship the Infant Jesus and offer him gifts. Jesus taught there and visited the various hospitals healing some sick people. One of them was very old and thin; she lived in a small hut and lay on a jargon. Jesus took her by the hand out. These old women had a common place to eat and pray. Lazarus and Obed returned to Jerusalem.
Jesus visited and healed some sick people in the area, and about three o'clock in the afternoon I saw him again at the place of baptism.
Jesus in Adummim, and Nebo
Jesus walked with most of his disciples through Beth-agla to Adummim. This place was like hiding in a wild county full of ravines and rocks, where the road was sometimes so narrow that a donkey could barely pass it. And it was about three hours from Jericho, on the border of Benjamin and Judah; and the place was so hidden that I had not seen it before.
The city was built on a steep slope. It had been a haven for criminals who could seek protection from death sentences. They were watched until they improved or employed as slaves in public works. That's why it was called the place of the accused or the bloodsuckers. These cities of refuge have existed since the days of David.
They ended it after Jesus Christ, at the first persecutions of the faithful. Later there was a convent built there by the brothers of the Holy Sepulchre. People lived there on vineyards and fruit. It presented the appearance of a wilderness region, with bare rocks of vegetation; sometimes large pieces of stone fell dragging the vineyards from the slopes. The proper road from Jericho to Jerusalem was not through there, but to the west of Adummim, by which one could not enter the city. And a way from the Shepherds' Valley to Jericho, about half an hour from Adummim, went through the way from Beth-agla to Adummim. Near this trail was a very dangerous and narrow passage.
A place marked with a stone seat was visible, where long before Christ what Jesus told as a parable of the good Samaritan and the man who fell into the hands of thieves had actually happened. As Jesus was going to Adummim, he withdrew a little and began to teach the crowd and the crowd on the stone seats, as had been the case since long ago. He kept the Sabbath in Adummim and taught in the synagogue with parables concerning the province of cities of refuge for criminals and applied it to the time of penance for men during their lifetime. He healed several patients, especially hydropes. After the Sabbath, Jesus returned with his disciples to the place where they were baptizing.
The next evening he went to the city of Nebo, which was across the Jordan at the foot of Mount Nebo, which had a several-hour drive. Messengers had come to Jesus asking him to teach and heal the sick. People everywhere lived there - Egyptians, idolatry-stained Israelites, and Moabites. They had reacted to John's preaching, but they did not dare to go to the place where Jesus was baptized. I believe that they were not allowed to go there; they were despised by the rest of the Israelites, I do not remember for what sins their ancestors committed, and therefore they could not go anywhere but only to a few places.
They humbly came to Jesus and asked him to baptize them. The disciples took water from the baptismal font to a manger; some stayed at the baptistery to watch. Nebo was separated from the Jordan by a half-hour mountain and from Macherus by about five or six hours. It had barren soil. To get there, you had to climb up the other bank of the Jordan. The bank in front of the baptism site was steep, like a mountain, and there was no way down. Beyond this mountain was Nebo. There was an idol temple there, but it was closed and looked poorly built. Jesus prepared outdoor baptism seats for teaching, and his disciples baptized.
The bathtub was placed on top of a bath tank where the baptized entered; it was filled with water until a certain point. They brought the white robes to the disciples, wrapped around the body. At baptism they were placed on the neophytes and the shirts floated in the water. After baptism, I would hang a kind of cloak on them. The place where John was baptizing was a kind of a stool, as wide as a napkin. Here was another blanket to which a stove with stripes was sewn. Most of the baptized were children and elderly, because many were rejected so that they could improve first. Jesus also healed several fever and drooping sick people who had been brought in on a leash. There were not among the pagans as many demon-possessed as among the Hebrews. Jesus blessed the water they were drinking, which was not good but was muddy and dirty, collected on the rock of the mountain. There was a container that was filled with hoses. Jesus blessed him in the form of a cross and raised his hand over some points on the surface. On the way back to Ono's hostel, Jesus and his disciples stayed most of the day on the way up from Nebo to the Jordan. Jesus taught there where there were many huts, whose inhabitants had their fruit and their wine pressed to sell to passersby.
Jesus returned with his disciples in the afternoon to their shelter near the place of baptism. He then passed through the surrounding areas several groups of peasants and gathered the people to indoctrinate them. There were good people who, while John was baptizing there, provided food for those who came from afar.
It seemed that Jesus wanted to visit even the smallest places in this region, for he would soon be away to Galilee. He was also with a wealthy peasant half an hour from Attica, whose possessions covered almost the entire mountain. There was a field on one side still being harvested, while on the other side it was beginning to be sown. There Jesus told a parable about sowing and harvesting.
There was a very old teaching chair in the days of the prophets. The peasants organized it very well, and on that seat Jesus was now teaching. Other stonelike places have been restored there since John's preaching. John had imposed it on the nations, for this was also part of his mission to prepare the way for the Messiah. These teaching stands of the time of the prophets had become unused and in ruins, as among us is the case with many stations of the Via Crucis. Elijah and Elisha had often been in these places.
Jesus wanted to celebrate the Sabbath tomorrow. And there followed after this feast another that was of the fruit of the ground; for I saw many baskets of fruit brought into the synagogues and into the houses of the court. In the place of baptism everything was being arranged and things were being kept for the rest of these feasts. And there stood about twenty houses where the stone which marked the place of the ark was.
Bethabara was not at the sea-shore, but half an hour away; and from thence she was well seen. From the other side of the river to the place where John was baptizing now, about an hour and a half's journey was taken over Beth-ha-bara.
I saw Jesus walk from house to house. I did not know why, but later I heard that he had this tithe-related story, urging people to give the alms they used to give at the Feast of Unleavened Bread. At noon, he observed the Sabbath feast in the synagogue, where he was teaching. Then the preparations for the feast of the new fruit of the year began. It was a feast three times: first, because he had just entered the olive tree; second, because he was paying tithes; and third, because he gave thanks for the fruit that was received. On these things Jesus preached. Many fruits were eaten and various figures of fruit arranged on tables were offered to the poor. Twenty more disciples followed Jesus there.
Jesus in Phasael. Heals Jairus' daughter. First meeting with Madeleine
At the end of the Feast Jesus left Ono with about twenty of his disciples and went to Galilee. He entered those shepherd huts where Joseph and Mary had been severely rejected on their journey to Bethlehem. There Jacob had his pasture fields.
Jesus visited the hostels of the good and taught there. And in the wicked he spent the night admonishing them. The woman was still alive, and Jesus healed her from her sickness. Then he passed through Aruma, where he had been before.
Jairus, a descendant of the Essenes Chariot, who lived in the village of Phasael a place despised by others and who had asked Jesus to heal his sick daughter, sent a messenger to remind Jesus of his promise of help. Your daughter was dead. Jesus sent his disciples on their way and called them to meet at a certain place. He followed the messenger to Jairus' house in Phasael. When Jesus arrived at the house, his daughter was already dead, ready for burial, wrapped in cloths and bandages, and surrounded by all the mourning relatives.
Jesus called others from the place and told them to untie the chains and the linen. He took the dead woman by the hand and put her up. Suddenly, she got up alive and got up on her bed. I was a young woman of sixteen. She had not been good; she had not loved her father, who loved her above all things; she complained of him because she helped the poor and joined the afflicted. Jesus resurrected her body and soul. He changed his life and later joined the holy women. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about this miracle, and he did not want his disciples to be with him.
This Jairus was not the one from Capernaum, whose daughter Jesus later resurrected, as the Gospel accounts tell us. Jesus left that place and went to the Jordan, then passed through Perea, north to Succoth, west of the river, and to Jezreel. In Jezreel he taught and performed many miraculous works in the presence of the large crowds that had gathered. All the disciples from Galilee had come to meet him.
Nathanael, who was from Cana, Peter, James, John and the sons of Mary the mother of Cleopas were all there. Lazarus, Martha, Seraphia (Veronica) and Joanna of Chus, who had left Jerusalem, had visited Mary Magdalene in Magdala and told her to go to Jezreel to see, if not to hear the prodigious, wise, eloquent, and admirable Jesus, of whom the whole country was speaking with wonder.
Madeleine wanted to please the holy women and with much adornment and much pomp she accompanied them there, going through the window of the inn where she was staying, saw Jesus walking along the way with her disciples, Jesus directed a serious look at her, which entered her soul and covered her with such shame and confusion, that she left the hostel and went to a leper's house where there were women with blood flowing, a kind of hospital run by a Pharisee. He did so driven by a supernatural disgust for himself and an inner vision of his misery.
People at the hostel who knew her said, "She belongs there, among lepers and bloodthirsty people". Madeleine had run to the leper's house to humble herself, so hurt her eyes! He asked for himself, out of vanity and not to join other poor, a special hostel and not the usual of other women. Lazarus, Martha and the others with them went back to Magdala. They were there on the Sabbath, because there was a synagogue..
Jesus in Capernaum, and Gennebris
About the evening, Jesus entered Capernaum, a place where the Sabbath day was. He had visited his mother Mary before. He taught and lodged in the house belonging to the bridegroom at Cana. All the disciples were gathered together.
On Saturday, he taught until the end of the party. Many sick and demon - possessed people had been brought to him from all over the country. He healed them before his disciples and drove out demons from the crowds.
The messengers from Sidon came to him begging him to visit them. He refused. The men from Caesarea Philippi came and invited him to their home. He consoled them with hope for later. The crowd grew so great that after the Sabbath Jesus and some of his disciples left Capernaum and went into hiding on a hill about an hour north of the city, between the sea and the Jordan. He remained hidden, committed to prayer.
When he and his disciples came from Bethany, they saw the boats of Peter and Zebedee on the hill. The disciples who had been with Jesus went to the fishermen's houses and told about Jesus. Andrew stayed at Capernaum and told the crowds what he had heard about Jesus.
At evening, Jesus went to his mother's house, between Capernaum and Bethsaida. Lazarus, Martha, and the other women who had come from Magdala were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus comforted them about Magdalene. He said that Martha was too desolate; that Magdalene was already moved; that she would still fall miserably.
She had not yet left her ornaments empty; she had declared that she could not resolve to dress as poorly as the other women, but that she should do so according to her condition. Later, when a day of fasting came for a mute man who had forbidden the placement of images in the temple, Jesus taught again in Capernaum. Again many people brought him sick people, and he healed many of them. New Messengers came to invite him to go with them to other regions. The Pharisees were there, questioning him about his intentions. "The whole country is stirred up because of him and he does not cease to teach in public and his fame is spread every day".
Jesus severely rebuked them and told them that he would teach publicly and also begin to act in the presence of all. And it came to pass in the evening, that a day of fasting was begun, when the tribe of Benjamin was cut off from the rest of the tribes, because of an evil and a scandal. I saw that this fasting day was observed more strictly in the region of Phasael, where Jesus had been recently by the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, also in Aruma, Gibeah, because the event had taken place there.
I saw that the holy women offered a special sacrifice and took part in the act with more diligence. At night, Jesus was taken by Nathanael Chased, with Andrew, Peter, and the sons of Mary of Cleopas and Zebedee, to Gennesbris, where Nathanael was residing. There he had prepared a hostel for him. He did not enter Nathanael's house, although they passed by him and he was outside the city. Nathanael, the one from Cana, and his wife were at this time in Capernaum and Jezreel. The place of baptism in Attica was watched on a shift by the local inhabitants.
Jesus taught and healed the demon-possessed in Gennebris. A path of merchants ran through the place. The people were not as simple as those on the lake; who, though not openly contradicting, welcomed his teachings coldly. In addition to the future apostles, Jonathan, Peter's brother, was also in Gennesboris. The rest of them went to Capernaum and Bethsaida to tell them what they had seen and heard about Jesus of Nazareth.
From Gennebris Jesus with his future apostles went to Betuliah, three hours from Gennebris, five hours from Tiberias and not far from Jezreel. The city was situated on the slope of a steep mountain that seemed to want to fall and ruins of old walls could be seen so wide that cars could pass over them. From there to Nazareth, the road passed through Mount Tabor, a few hours southeast of the city. Nathaniel Chased gave up his job at Gennebris to his cousin and wanted to follow Jesus. As they entered Betuliah, the demon-possessed men came out screaming. On arriving at the marketplace, Jesus stopped on a teaching seat and ordered some disciples to ask the ruler of the synagogue to open the doors from all sides, while other disciples went from house to house calling the people to teach. The synagogue had several doors between columns that were usually opened to the large crowds. There Jesus taught about the true grain of wheat that must be put into the earth to germinate and bear fruit.
He was staying at an arranged inn in advance. The Pharisees did not openly contradict him, but they murmured. Jesus knew that they were afraid that he would keep the Sabbath there. Jesus said to his disciples, "I wanted to go on the Sabbath to a place a couple of hours further away, between the west and the north, toward Tabor, a village whose name I do not remember and whose inhabitants lived by dyeing silk into strips and stripes. Jesus healed many sick people there. All the disciples who remained were gathered together again.
When Jesus left the town of Betuliah because of the murmuring of the Pharisees, he taught outside the city for about an hour, sitting on a stone bench. Remains of walls were seen and it seemed that this was part of the city in other times. And he came to Kisloth about the third of the afternoon, about three hours from thence, at the foot of mount Tabor.
Andrew and the other apostles had gone ahead to prepare a shelter for him. A large crowd from the surrounding area was gathered there, including many shepherds who were carrying their own cattle, and many merchants from Sidon and Tyre. Jesus' teachings and miracles had already become well known in the surrounding area. As they reached the place, they were all overwhelmed, because the news had spread that Jesus was going to observe the Sabbath there. Those who were on the way and on the journey also gathered for this occasion. Where Jesus appeared there was always a great movement. His arrival was called out; it was about getting to where he was; some were kneeling at his feet; they wanted to touch him. So he sometimes showed himself upset by the crowd, and he tried to disappear suddenly when the tumult grew too much. Sometimes on the way, he would send his disciples away or away from them, to be alone. When they reached the populations, they often had to make their way through the peat. Some who he allowed to touch him or come near him immediately felt an inner commotion, an improvement in spirituality, and healing from their diseases.
Jesus in Kisloth-Tabor
Summer later, Jesus arrived at a shelter prepared in advance by the disciples outside the city of Kisloth - Tabor, a place where he had already been twice. This city was seven hours' drive from Nazareth by the diversions, and five hours in a straight line. The roads went there in Palestine, between the diversions and the crooked paths between the valleys and the mountains. That's why the distance calculations were often very diverse.
Many settlements fill Palestine, although from the heights you can only see the main and best situated ones. Kisloth-Tabor was a city of merchants and dealers; there were many rich and affluent and many poor who lived by the dyeing of raw silk and the work of stripes, and ornaments, and other similar ornaments for the garments of the priests. These tanneries were formerly mostly by the sea in Tyre; now many of these tanners have interned in the country. The rich employed the poor in their workshops and factories.
I saw people working as slaves. In front of the inn, the disciples surrounded a place with thick ropes, passing through sticks buried on the floor, forming a barrier against the impetus of the crowds who had gathered to hear Jesus' teachings. Jesus went outside the city and began to teach the crowds who came from every corner.
Rich men and merchants from the city also came, and he spoke about wealth and the dangers of greed and greed. He told them that their condition was more dangerous than that of the publicans, many of whom were converts. Then looking at the ropes that separated him from the impulse of the people, he said the stern words of the Gospel: "A rope (as they were seeing) enters more easily through the eye of a needle than a rich man in the kingdom of heaven". Those ropes of camel's hair were as thick as an arm and passed through four rows through the rods or stacks in front of the hostel. These rich men pretended to defend themselves by saying that they were giving alms of their profits. Jesus answered them that the little ropes they thought of the sweat of the poor could not teach them any harmony.
Kislomloth had a city of Levites, separated from Zebedee, and given the Levites of the tribe of Merari had a better teaching than the schools of the region; they did not belong to the tribe and all of them were doing so with great harmony. He told them that when he had taught them in the curtains and the synagogues, he had more than one line of priests and other priests, and that Jesus could not teach him anything, but that Jesus had a better way of teaching them. He They threw themselves at Jesus' feet and confessed their sins. Some suffered from bloodshed and others suffered from bad passions from which they asked to be freed. In the afternoon, he celebrated Saturday at school and ate at the inn. The future apostles and closest friends were at his table, while other disciples were at another table or served the diners. The next day, when the Sabbath was over, Jesus began to heal many in the synagogue. He went into the house of many who were unable to get him to come, and he healed them.
The disciples helped, bringing or carrying sick, making room in the crowd, going or coming with messages and keeping order. The expenses of these trips and lodgings were on Lazarus' behalf. Obed, son of Simeon, was in charge of making the payments. The small cells I had seen in front of the synagogue were now occupied by women who through a web spoke to Jesus alone. These cells were intended for sinful, penitent or legally unclean women, they had to deal with the priests. Above Mount Tabor there was no population, but there were fortresses, walls, and ramparts where soldiers had formerly been stationed. In the afternoon, Jesus went with his closest, future apostles, to the home of a Pharisee for a meal.
This Pharisee had heard Jesus' teaching and had been moved and improved. A few days later Jesus was with his disciples at a large feast in a room prepared for them. He had taught and left the city that same evening and went to Jezreel, about three hours' journey from Kisloth-Tabor. At Jezreel, his closest friends, Andrew and Nathanael, and those from Bethsaida, went away to visit their relatives. Jesus told them where they should meet again. About fifteen younger disciples were still with Jesus. He taught and healed some sick people. There were several schools of literature and religion there, because it was a big center.
Jesus spoke of Naboth's vineyard. And he departed from Jezreel an hour and a half to the east, to a field which was in a wide valley, about two hours' journey, and was of equal length. There were many fruit trees with low trunks and divisions. It was a beautiful valley, full of fruit and vegetation.
And the inhabitants of Kisloth-Tabor and Jezreel had their possessions and their pastures there. He had many stores, two by two, spread out through the valley, where the people of Shechar were in charge of storing, watching, and harvesting the fruits. It seemed to me that they were obliged to do so as a tribute they should pay. They were a little bit of a businessman and lived in four stores. Besides, there lived the women who cooked for the workers. Jesus was teaching these people gathered in a tent.
Many springs and wells of water were seen flowing into the Jordan. One of these main streams came from the Jezrael side and there was captured in a beautiful spring over which they made a dome as if it were a chapel. From this main source broke several branches that ran through the valley and joined other streams that would eventually end up in the Jordan. There were about thirty of these who were listening to Jesus, and the women stood at a distance.
He spoke of the worst slavery, that of sin, from which they themselves should be set free. These men were overjoyed because Jesus was worthy to visit them. Jesus was so compassionate and tender toward these poor people that I myself had to weep with tenderness. They presented Jesus and his disciples with various kinds of fruit, and they ate. In some of these places there were already ripe fruits, while in others there were only flowers.
And I saw there brown fruit, as figs, that were in clusters as grapes; and there were yellow plants, that made mud of them. In this valley was the mountain of Gelboe, where Saul died in his war against the Philistines.
Jesus in Sunem, and in Ulama
Later that afternoon, Jesus went through Jezreel to Shunem, an open village on a hill. Some disciples had gone before him to prepare a hostel by talking to a hotel manager at the entrance to the city. And the valley of the fruit-trees, from which he went out, was south of Jezreel, near Shunem; and there were two other cities one and two hours away, one of which Jesus set aside on his way from Kisloth-Tabor to Jezreel; for the people of Shunem lived by the work of weaving. They weaved with silk threads narrow ribbons with simple, edged edges and adorned with flowers.
This place was no longer in the valley of Esdrelon, but more up in the heights. There was an extraordinary contest around Jesus that was growing. The people surrounded him, bowing down to him, and wailing and shouting at the new Prophet, the Messenger of Allah. Many did so with a good intention, others with a sense of humor and curiosity and a riot. The competition was so great there that it seemed like a popular revolt, and as this was growing in Galilee, Jesus was soon to be withdrawn. And of this place was the beautiful woman Abishag, whom David took for his wife in his old age. The prophet Elisha also had a hostel there where he often went and resurrected the barber's son.
I had a vision of that suit. There was in this city a free inn for travelers and bystanders, precisely in memory of the prophet Elisha and his stay. I don't know if it was in the same house or at least the place where the hostel was. On that day Jesus taught in the school and went into many hospitals to comfort and heal them. The village was a little scattered between high places and in the middle of the city stood the mountain ridge.
There was a path that led up there; as I went up, the huts were smaller and only a few huts. In an empty place on the top was a stone chair to teach; to defend themselves from the sun they put a cloth tent spread out on sticks. When Jesus and his disciples went up to the mountain early the next morning to teach, there was a great tumult in the city. The crowd had brought up many sick people on their backs along the way.
Jesus could only climb up amid the screams, the tumult, and the cries of the sick. There were people on the rooftops so they could see and hear his words better. From above, where the seat was, a splendid view was discovered around Mount Tabor. Jesus spoke harshly there against the pride, boasting, and conversations of people who, instead of quietly seeking conversion, making penance, and fulfilling God's commandments, shouted and cried out in vain, "Prophesy the prophet; the messenger of God!" believing that Jesus' coming was because they had earned it and because it was an honor of the messenger to have come to them. He made it clear that he had come to confess their sins and to repent.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus headed northeast, about three hours away, to a town that looked like a larger, though not as old as Shunem. This city had large, wide walls, over which trees grew. His name was Ulama, and he was about five hours east of Tabor. Two hours from there was the city of Arbela, north. There were roads between the mountains, full of pointed stones, which broke and spent the soles, and so they made themselves in this village soles for the feet. The city was on a high ground, in a steep region; yet the high places of vineyards were visible almost to the top.
And I saw there a plant as high as a tree, with twigs entwined, and thick as a branch, and fruit like a cottage, with which they made bottles and vessels. (Perhaps a variety of pumpkins). The city was not as old as others and had something that manifested that it had not yet been finished. The inhabitants did not have the simplicity of the ancient Israelites: They wanted to appear more experienced and understanding than their neighbors. I think they should have been there for a while, Romans or other foreign soldiers.
There was also a large crowd because Jesus wanted to keep the Sabbath. Now there were about twenty of them, including Jonathan and the widow's sons. Among them were Peter, Andrew, John, James, the Younger, Nathanael Chased, and Nathanael from the wedding at Cana. Jesus had called them to hear him and to help him heal the sick, because of the large crowd that was going everywhere. The people went out to meet him because they had heard his voice coming. They brought branches of trees and plants that they threw down their paths, and they put long and narrow stripes before their feet to pass over them, and they cried out, "Prophet, Prophet, Prophet!" Many demon - possessed men from the city followed him, shouting and proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Jesus told them to shut up.
When he came to the shelter, he had no rest; the demon-possessed men came screaming, until he again ordered them to be silent and to leave the place. In Ulama there were three meeting places: a school for the learned, a school for children, and a synagogue. Jesus went from house to house comforting and healing; then he spoke in school, treating simplicity and respect for parents. Of both things they were especially lacking in this place, and in their preaching they were rebuked for their pride and their boasting, since, having the Prophet come among them, they wasted their time in vain cries rather than taking advantage of it for repentance, penance and conversion. After the Sabbath the leaders of the city gave him a meal in a banquet hall. The apostles, who had gone home, greeted their own and talked with Mary. Women also kept closer to Jesus through Mary. The Baptist still remained in his place, though his disciples were dwindling day by day. Herod would often visit him and send messengers to him. The next day, about nine in the morning, Jesus went with his disciples about a quarter of an hour outside the city, where there was a playground or a bathroom by a mountain. This place was almost as large as the Dulmen cemetery, and it had galleries, buildings, a beautiful well, and a place to teach.
Jesus had already mentioned many sick people in that city, and he did not want to heal them because of the riot. The apostles helped by keeping order. The sick had been brought in packs and were in the galleries waiting for their passage. There were so many people that not all of them could get close. The priests and the chief men kept order. Jesus healed many sick people as he went from one place to another. If I say he healed many,
I understand about thirty; if I say some, I understand around ten. Jesus spoke of the death of Moses, whose memorial was celebrated with a day of fasting. The food was kept warm under the ashes. They ate different loaves of bread than the common ones. Jesus spoke of the promised land and its fertility, saying that this fertility should be understood not only from material fruits but from the abundance of spiritual goods, for his country was fruitful in prophets and messengers of God, and the fruit was in these cases the promised salvation and penance of those who wanted to receive it from the heart.
After this, I saw him go to another building where they had taken the demon-possessed. They got angry and screamed when he arrived. Most were young and still children. He put them in line and told them to shut up and stay quiet, and with one word he delivered them at once. Some fainted when the demons left. Parents and relatives were there. Jesus taught and warned the present. After he had taught in the synagogue, he left this city unnoticed. The disciples had left earlier. I believe Jesus himself ordered it that way. Leaving many cities, he went to Capernaum.
Jesus in Capernaum
He and his disciples walked all night and at daybreak came to his holy mother. In the house of Mary, Peter's wife, and a sister of her, the wife of the wedding at Cana, and others. The house that Mary occupied was like the other houses in the place and quite spacious, because she was never alone: several widows lived and stayed there. The women of Bethsaida and Capernaum often came, and so did some of the disciples.
I saw that they were observing a day of fasting, that they were lamenting, and that the women were awake. Jesus spoke in the synagogue in Capernaum, where his disciples and holy women had gathered. Capernaum was situated in a straight line, on the mountain, toward the valley, toward noon. About half an hour's journey from Capernaum to Bethsaida, there were some houses, one of which was where Mary lived.
From Capernaum a beautiful stream ran to the Jordan, which divided into several branches in Bethsaida fertilising the entire region. Mary had no orchard or field or animals to care for. She lived by giving, as a widow, of friends, and was busy with the loading, sewing, and weaving with sticks; the rest of the time she employed herself in prayer and in comforting and teaching other women who came to her on the day of her arrival.
Mary wept over the great tumult that was forming around Jesus, which was a danger, because of His teachings and his wonders. To her were all the murmurs of the nations, all the twisted opinions that were being formed about Jesus. They dared not tell Jesus, but told his mother. Jesus told his holy mother that the time had come for him to leave Galilee and go to Judea, where after the Passover feast he would raise even more alarm about her. In the afternoon a feast of thanksgiving for the beneficent rain began in Capernaum.
The synagogues and public buildings were adorned with green branches and plants, forming pyramids and various ornaments, and on the roofs of synagogues and other main houses with upper galleries, strange wind instruments were played. Those who played these instruments were the leaders of the synagogue, as are the sacristy among us.
This instrument is similar to a flexible tube or a skin about four feet long, to which are attached several dark-colored pitts and holes like those in the flute, which, when the instrument was not inflated, would stick and stick; when, on the contrary, it swelled, blowing in by a man, two others held it high, and these were charged with filling it with air, blowing also or blowing. With the various holes closed or opened, the instrument made very loud sounds of various tones.
The two men next to each other were blowing. Jesus spoke in the synagogue in an impressive way about the drought and the rain. He related how Elijah pleaded for rain at Carmel, and how six times he sent his servant to see if it was coming rain, and how the seventh time he announced that a small cloud was rising from the sea and becoming ever greater, and that soon after the rain had fallen it had refreshed the whole land; adding that Elijah then traveled through the land. Jesus explained that these seven Elijah's questions represented the time until the fulfillment of the promise; he added that it pointed to the present time, and the rain was the Messiah, whose teaching was to refresh and make all dry things green. "Let the one who is thirsty be filled now and drink, and let the one who has his field prepared receive the beneficial rain". He spoke all this so tenderly and tenderly that the people were weeping with emotion, and Mary and the holy women who were listening were weeping.
The people of Capernaum were more attentive to Jesus. There were three priests in this synagogue, and Jesus often ate his meals with his disciples in the house where the priests of the synagogue lived. It seemed like a right acquired there that the teachers who taught had free shelter. The day before that afternoon and that morning the musicians came back to blow their rare instruments, and still today they played the young and children who found their contentment in it. Jesus had said good -bye to his disciples and relatives and the people of Bethsaida. He was about to leave Galilee early and go to Judea. Only eleven of them, who were from Nazareth and Jerusalem, and others who had come with John, went with him.
Jesus helps a boat
After the Feast of Thanksgiving, Jesus left Capernaum and went south - east between Cana and Sephorus. Mary and eight other women went with him a little way along, including Mary of Cleopas, the three widows, the bride of Cana, and a sister of Peter.
They followed him to a small village, where they ate a meal together and sent him away. Nearby was the well where Joseph had been lowered by his brothers.
The place was called Dothaim. Hanya is another Dothaim larger than this village, in the valley of Esdrelon, about four hours north of Samaria. This Dothaim was a small village where its inhabitants lived by the trade of merchants who passed by its roads; it lay at the end of a valley with grassland for eighty animals. On the other side of the building was the large building where Jesus once silenced a crowd of demon-possessed people who were shouting at him. This time he did not enter this place, which was an hour and a half from north to east of Sephoris, and four or five hours from Mount Tabor.
The disciples went ahead to seek shelter. Eight men and priests went out to meet Jesus and holy women. They accompanied them to a private house where food was prepared. They spread a rug in front of the entrance where he should pass. They washed his feet from the dust of the road. The women ate in the back of the house.
Jesus and his disciples were at the table. Only cold food was eaten: small loaves of bread, honey, over-ripe green herbs and fruit; the drink was water mixed with balm, from which they gave Jesus and the women small vessels to carry. The city's priests stood up and served with admirable humility and love. Jesus spoke of Joseph, who had been sold by his brothers. It was a tender, moving scene that made me cry. It was weird to me: everything was happening so close to me that I wanted to participate, they did this or that and I couldn't. After this meal, the holy women made their way back home. Jesus left his mother alone and then went to greet the other women.
I saw Jesus also hugging his mother when he went away and was alone. In other cases, he would simply shake his hand or bend over, waving tenderly. Mary was crying on that occasion. Mary had a young appearance: she was grown up, though of delicate traits. He had a tall forehead, a prominent nose, large eyes, though always tilted to the ground, very attractive pink mouth, somewhat brown complexion with pink and velvety cheeks.
Jesus spent some time teaching in the inn. The men, who did not want to pay for the meals, followed him to Joseph's well, which was about half an hour's drive into the valley. This well was no longer what it was at the time Joseph was locked in. It was then a dry cistern with a green edge; now they made it a square vessel, quite wide, almost a small lake, and had a roof supported by columns. It was full of water and kept fish varieties in it.
I saw curious fish there, with their heads upright but not at the ends like ours, not as big as those I saw in the Sea of Galilee. It was not visible from the outside where the water flowed into the lake; it was surrounded, and some people lived around to take care of its conservation. Jesus went with his companions to this place and throughout the journey told the story of Joseph and his brothers. He also taught there by the well.
I saw you bless the well when you walked away from it. The people of Dotaim turned around, and Jesus and his disciples left, making an hour's journey to Sephorus, where he lodged with the children of a sister from Santa Ana. Sephorus was on a hill, surrounded by mountains, and was larger than Capernaum. There were many farms around town that belonged to her. Jesus was not received so well by the synagogue rulers. There were some evil people in the city who were murmuring against Jesus, saying that he was wandering the country instead of staying with his mother and caring for her. He did not heal the sick there, but instead began to teach on the Sabbath in the synagogue.
In contrast, he visited many, especially certain Essenes, to comfort and exhort them, since the wicked tongues mocked and disturbed us by the love they displayed for Jesus. In these houses he also told several men and some of their cousins not to follow him for now, but to remain his friends in secret, doing the good they could while he was alive and fulfilling his mission. His relatives did all they could to help Mary, sending her whatever she needed.
I saw Jesus treating so lovingly and familiarly with several families in this place that I was moved, and I cannot express it: I only remember him with tears in my eyes.
I saw something that night that impressed me in a special way. A very strong wind rose on the Holy Land, and I saw Jesus praying with other people. He prayed with his arms outstretched for the release of the misfortunes.
At that moment I saw a vision of a great storm coming up on the Sea of Galilee, and the boats of Peter, Andrew and Zebedee were in great danger of sinking and breaking.
I saw them sleeping peacefully in Bethany, and on the boats were their servants. Suddenly I saw the figure of Jesus, as he prayed, there, and at the same time on boats and in the sea; already on one and on another, helping, removing danger or suggesting means of avoiding it. He was not there in person, because I did not see him go there: there was something higher than the other people; it seemed to float over them. The people on the boats did not see him; it was as if his spirit were there while his body was away. No one knew how he helped. I believe he helped them because those servants believed in him and had invoked him in danger.
Jesus in Nazareth. The three young men. The feast of Purim.
From Sephorus Jesus went on foot by stray roads to some farms, where he comforted and exhorted, going to Nazareth, which was two hours away. He had among his disciples two or three young sons of widows from the Essenes.
When he arrived in Nazareth, he sheltered himself among friends and visited some in private without attracting any attention. The Pharisees came and saw him, outwardly respectful but full of reproaches against him, and they asked him what he wanted to do; why did he not stay with his mother? Jesus answered with seriousness and determination. There everything was prepared for a fasting day for Esther and for the festival of Purim, which immediately followed. Jesus taught in the synagogue very severely. In the evening, I saw him praying again, with his arms outstretched.
I saw him appear on the Sea of Galilee during a storm. The danger was greater this time, and I saw many boats about to sink. I saw Jesus putting his hands on the handlebars, but the driver didn't realize it. Then I saw the three rich young men who had been with Jesus before again begging him to take them with him; and they almost bowed down before him. Jesus did not admit them. He told them several things they should observe if they wanted to be his disciples. Jesus saw that these young men had only human visions and understood no other reasons.
They wanted to follow him as one would follow a philosopher, a famous rabbi, to the science learned from such a wise man to honor his hometown of Nazareth. He was distressed because they saw the poor young men of the city following him, and he welcomed them; but they were rejected.
Then I saw Jesus with the elderly man Eliud of Nazareth until the middle of the night. This old man seemed to be in the last, and he was always in his bed.
Jesus stood by him, held him in his arms, and spoke to him. The man was all absorbed in God. With the beginning of the festival of Purim, the sounds of an instrument were heard over the synagogue. The instrument was supported on a tripod: it was hollow, with several whistles, which went in and out, and emitted a melody of several tones.
There were children playing harps and pipes. In honor of the heroine Esther who on that day enjoyed great freedoms and rights women and young people in the synagogue: they were not, as usual, away from men, and could even approach the priestly courtyard.
There were processions of children in various robes, some white and others colored. And a young woman came in, carrying a strange sauce in her throat; and she had a red band of blood, which was her throat cut off; and from that band there hung colored bands with buttons upon the white robe, as if blood were falling from her neck upon her garment.
It was a kind of stage, for she walked in a splendid cloak whose ends were supported by other young women; a crowd of young men and women followed her. He wore a high, pointed hat and a very long veil; in his hand he carried something like a scepter.
The young woman was beautiful and tall. I could not understand what was represented: it seemed to me that she represented Esther, and she reminded me of Judith on the other side; but she did not seem to have killed Holofernes, for she came with a maidservant carrying a basket of precious gifts for the first priest. He offered her plates of precious fabric, which she sometimes carried on her forehead, sometimes on her chest.
In a corner of the synagogue behind a curtain was seen the figure of a man lying on a bed from which this young woman would take his head and present it to the high priest and also give the priests, by an ancient tradition, a warning about the major faults that had been noted in the year; after that he would retire.
I saw that at other such feasts certain women were given the right to warn the priests. In the synagogue the book of Esther was open, and this scroll was read in turn. Jesus read it too. The Jews, especially the children, had wooden sticks and small hammers with them. Pulling a wire, he would hammer a certain name while they were saying something at the same time. This was done whenever Aman's name appeared in the reading.
Solemn meals were also held. Jesus was with the priests in the great hall. During this festival, the ornaments were seen as at the Feast of Tabernacles: many flower crowns, beautiful roses as large as heads and pyramids of flowers, herbs, leaves, branches, and many fruits. An entire lamb lay on the table, and I was amazed at the splendid equipment they used in their service. There were springs of various colors, transparent, like precious stones. And the people gave one another many gifts that day, jewels, and wedding garments, and robes, and handkerchiefs, and veils, and breeches, and various ornaments. Jesus was given a wedding garment with a loose skirt; but he refused to take it and gave it to others. Many gave their gifts to the poor, who were very much remembered in those days. After the meal, Jesus walked around with his disciples and priests in a kind of recreation park near Nazareth. He had three scrolls written on it and the book of Esther, and he read some of them. Groups of young men and women followed; the young women heard the reading from a distance.
I saw some men going from house to house, charging something like a contribution. From Nazareth Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Aphek, four hours away; but he returned to Nazareth for the Sabbath feast, and then visited the dying Eliud. The priests of Nazareth could not understand how Jesus could acquire such great science after his short absence from Nazareth. They could not successfully contradict his teaching, and some were truly envious of him. When he left Nazareth, they followed him for a long journey.
Jesus in a home of Lazarus in Thirza
Jesus walked the path the Holy Family took on their flight to Egypt, and arrived with his disciples to a small place not far from Legion, where the Holy Family had taken refuge and where despised men lived who worked as slaves.
Jesus bought bread there, broke it and multiplied it, and distributed it to the people. There was no much tumult because Jesus did not stay there long. As they were on their way, Lazarus, John Mark and Obed came to meet him. With the three, he went on to a property of Lazarus in Thirsa, five hours' journey away.
Although they arrived at night without warning, everything was ready to receive them. This property was located on a hill in the direction of Samaria, not far from Jacob's fields. An old Jewish man who walked barefoot and belt-bound was the keeper: he had been there since Mary and Joseph had passed by and had taken shelter in the same place on their journey to Bethlehem. Martha and Magdalene had been serving the Lord there for the last year of his life. When Jesus was teaching, they begged him to send Lazarus, their brother, who was sick.
Near this possession of Lazarus was the village of Thirtsa, in a beautiful position, about seven hours from Samaria. In a position to receive much sunshine, this town was very rich in wheat, wine, and all kinds of fruit; so most of its inhabitants worked the land and sold the fruit. It was once a great and beautiful city, inhabited by kings; now the burnt castle and the city badly damaged by wars could be seen.
King Amri had lived in the house belonging to Lazarus until he could move to Samaria. The people were very pious; they kept quiet and reserved. The place was like a hidden and diminished place. I believe that in our time there must be traces of its existence. The inhabitants did not communicate with the Samaritans. Jesus taught in the synagogue, but he did not heal the sick. On Saturday the feast of the dedication of the temple by Zerubbabel began, though not as solemn as that of the Maccabees. In homes, on the streets, in pastures, and in synagogues, traditional lights and fires were seen.
Jesus spent most of the day with his disciples in the synagogue at Thirsa. He ate at the house of Lazarus, but only sparingly. Most of the food was given to the poor, who were very numerous in this place. The divisions were already used to having Jesus stay there. Of the greatness of the city were these traces of walls and towers torn down. It seemed that Lazarus' house, which was a quarter of an hour's drive away, was part of the city because of the remains of walls that could be seen in what are now cultivated gardens and meadows. Lazarus had inherited this possession from his father.
There, as everywhere, Lazarus was honored, considered a man not only rich but also godly, wise and enlightened; his conduct was on the other hand very different from the others: he had a serious course, spoke little and was very compassionate, kind and in all things very measured. After the Feast, Jesus left Thirsa and Lazarus and went to Judea. The way was the same as that of Joseph and Mary when they went to Bethlehem, through the mountains, next to Samaria and the same region.
I saw him climb a high mountain at night. It was a quiet night and a slight fog was spreading over the region. About the eighteen disciples went with him, two by two, one ahead and the other behind. For a moment he kept quiet; sometimes he prayed, and sometimes he spoke. The night was inviting to prayer and quiet. They went all night and in the morning they rested a little, eating some food; then they continued on a cold mountain, avoiding the cities by the way.
I saw the Lord with about six of his disciples, and suddenly a young man stood before him. He threw himself at his feet and said, "Save this man, for you are going to deliver Judea and restore it". This man believed in a temporal kingdom of Christ; he asked to be taken as a disciple, and he desired a job in that kingdom.
This young man was an orphan, but he inherited a large estate from his father and was employed in Samaria. Jesus proved very familiar with him; he told him that when he returned, he would tell him what he should do: he liked his humility and his good will; that there was nothing to say about his request. He heard that the young man was very fond of his riches and that Jesus wanted to tell him what he wanted when he had chosen his disciples to teach them. This young man did indeed return again, and what Jesus then told him is in the Gospel.
In the afternoon I saw them arrive at the shepherd's inn, between the two deserts, five or six hours from Bethany, where once Mary and the holy women had stayed overnight when they went to Bethany, which was where Jesus was before His baptism. The shepherds around gathered and brought presents and food. The hostel has been turned into a place of prayer. A lamp was burning and they slept there. Jesus taught and kept the Sabbath. On this difficult and lonely journey Jesus passed through where Mary, on her journey to Bethlehem, had so much cold and where she soon found relief. Jesus spent the entire Sabbath with his disciples among shepherds, who considered themselves very happy and moved. Jesus himself seemed to me the most joyful and joyous of these simple shepherds. After the Sabbath, he went to Bethany, a four - hour drive away.
The first Passover in Jerusalem
Jesus was staying at the house of Lazarus, in the same room that he had previously stayed. It was organized as a synagogue and was the family oratory. In the middle was a pulpit, upon which were set the scrolls of the Scriptures.
The part of Jesus was separated from the oratory by a septum. The next morning Martha went to Jerusalem to go to the home of Mary Mark and the other women and tell them that Jesus and her brother Lazarus were going to Mary Mark's home. In fact, Jesus and Lazarus arrived there about noon. They were joined by Veronica, Joanna of Chus, Susanna, Jesus' disciples and John from Jerusalem, John Mark, the sons of Simeon son of Veronica, the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea, about nine men. There was neither Nicodemus nor Joseph of Arimathea.
Jesus spoke of the nearness of God's kingdom, of his mission, of his following it, and still obscurely of his passion. John Mark's house was in the east of the city, opposite the Garden of Olives. In the afternoon, Jesus and Lazarus returned to Bethany. In Jerusalem already there was talk of Jesus, the new prophet who was now in Bethany. Some rejoiced at his presence; others were offended by the Prophet from Nazareth. In the gardens and on the way to the Garden of Olives, people were seen. Some Pharisees were waiting for him. They had heard that he might enter the city. However, no one stopped him or questioned him.
I saw some hiding behind the hedges to keep watching, and they were saying, "Here is the Prophet from Nazareth, the carpenter's son". There were many people working in the gardens and parks near the feasts, cleaning, cleaning up, pruning and cutting the sebum and plants. And there were labourers and poor laborers that went to Jerusalem, and to the city and the fields, and they came with their instruments of labour, and they were riding upon asses. One of them was that Simon, who later carried Christ's cross.
Days later I saw Jesus again in Jerusalem and in the house of Obed the son of Simeon, not far from the temple; then in another house where the former family of Simeon used to live, opposite the temple. There he ate a meal prepared and sent by Martha and the other women. About nine of the disciples from Jerusalem were with Jesus.
He spoke very tenderly of the nearness of God's kingdom. He hadn't been to the temple yet. He went fearlessly from one side to the other. He was wearing a long white robe, which the prophets used to wear. Often it would appear to others without attracting attention and disappear. However, at times his appearance was extraordinary: his face was bright and his appearance unusual. When he had returned to Bethany in the evening, some of John's disciples, including the man named Saturn, came.
When they had come to Jesus, they told him about John, because many people were not getting baptized by him, and Herod was getting into trouble with him. Nicodemus came to the home of Lazarus that evening and heard Jesus teaching.
The next morning Jesus went to the house of a Pharisee named Simon, who was living in Bethany. There was a meal. Nicodemus, Lazarus, and John's disciples were also at the table. Martha and the women of Jerusalem were on their own. Nicodemus barely spoke in Jesus' presence, only listening attentively to his teaching. Joseph of Arimathea asked a few times. Simon, the Pharisee, was not a bad man, but he was still doubting: he was beside Jesus because of his friendship with Lazarus and Nicodemus, but he liked to go with the other Pharisees.
Jesus spoke much on this occasion of the prophets and the fulfillment of prophecies. He spoke of the wonder of John's conception, how God delivered him from the slaughter of the innocent, and how his mission was to prepare the way. He also spoke of the little case that people made of the fulfillment of the time of the prophecies, and said, among other things: "It is only thirty years old, and who remembers now, apart from some godly and simple people, that three kings came from the East with their followers, following a star, and they sought a newborn boy, the king of the Jews, and found him as the son of a poor father? He did not, however, say that this child was himself. Then he went with Lazarus and Saturn to the homes of the sick and poor workers, healing about six. These patients were crippled, dripping, and melancholy.
He told them to leave their homes to get some sun. No crowd was seen in Bethany because of Jesus. Even in these cures, he proceeded without drawing attention. Lazarus, who was respected by all, was in favor of avoiding the riots and disorderly competition elsewhere. On the first day of Nisan there was a feast in the synagogue, and I saw a moonlight in the form of a light in the school. It was during the time of prayer that it grew brighter and brighter, because a man was lighting up more lights behind him.
After a few days I saw Jesus in the temple area with Lazarus, Saturn, Obed and others, with a lamb being sacrificed. Jesus' presence at the temple brought a stir among the Jews. The strange thing is that each felt this commotion and did not express it to the others, who also felt moved by secret admiration. This was providential, to give Jesus time to fulfill his entire mission: had they communicated their opinion to each other, they would have put obstacles to their development.
Now they were fighting in some hearts hatred and anger with deep admiration and emotion. Others developed a desire to know Jesus better and asked questions and information to get to know him better. And there was also a fasting day on this occasion, because of the death of Aaron's sons. At Lazarus' home Jesus' disciples and other godly people were gathered. Jesus was teaching in a spacious room where a chair had been placed for him just as he had recently spoken of the coming of the three Magi, so there he spoke of things of the past. He said, "Have not it been ten or eight years since a little Bachir (scholar) argued with the doctors of the law, when they were so angry with Him?" He also told them what that child had taught them. Jesus was again with Obed, who had a job at the temple, and with other disciples in the sacred precinct for the Sabbath feast. There were two of them among the other men in Jerusalem.
He was dressed in a white robe with a striped robe and a white cloak, like the Essenes. There was always something about him that impressed and amazed me: His clothes were always clean and attracted attention because he wore them. He sang some of the scrolls, and prayed with the others alternately. Some of them went before the prayer and guided him. It was noticeable that the presenters looked at her in wonder and emotion, without saying anything, and they talked to each other in secret.
I've seen many shocks and amazing changes. There were three sermons about the Israelites, about the Exodus from Egypt, and about the Passover lamb. Above an altar was incense. The priests could not see themselves; only the fire and the smoke of incense could be seen. The fire was seen through a grid over which lay the ornament of a lightning-beamed paschal lamb: through this ornament the fire shone inward. This altar was near the Sancta Sanctorum, whose tips seemed to penetrate to it.
I saw the Pharisees praying, their arms wrapped in a long and narrow band like a veil. At about two in the afternoon, Jesus and his companions went to the temple, to a part of the front room of Israel, where a meal of chopped fruit was being prepared. They had appointed the master of the room to provide for the order. In the surrounding places, you could buy everything you needed for this meal. Foreigners had that right to sell. The temple was like a small town; everything could be achieved there. During the meal, Jesus taught. When the men left, the women ate at the same place. I learned something new: Lazarus had a position in the temple, just as among us the layman can have influence in the church.
I saw him walk by with a box in his hand collecting alms or paying taxes. Jesus and his family stayed in the temple all evening. Then I only saw him in Bethany around nine o'clock at night. On this Sabbath, numerous lamps were lit in the temple.
Mary and the future Apostles go to Jerusalem
Mary and the holy women go from Capernaum to Jerusalem. And they went to Nazareth, and to Tabor; for there were women gathered there, and they passed through Samaria. The disciples from Galilee were ahead of them, and some servants were following them carrying burdens and bags.
I saw Peter, Andrew, and his brother Jonathan, the sons of Zebedee, the sons and daughters of Mary of Cleopas, Nathanael, the one from Cana, and Chased. On Nisan's room Jesus was with some twenty disciples at the temple all morning. Then he taught at the home of Mary Mark and ate some food.
Then I saw Jesus in Bethany, in the home of Simon the Pharisee, with Lazarus his friend. Everywhere they were busy picking the lambs for Passover. Jesus was again in the temple in the afternoon, and then he was teaching in the home of Joseph of Arimathea. This house was near John Mark's, near a stone carving workshop.
The place was a little far from the common passage, and the Pharisees did not frequent it much; and none of the enemies dared come near Jesus, because those who hated him did so in secret and did not give a sign publicly.
Jesus, in turn, operated freely in Jerusalem and the temple. He advanced with Obed between the altar of sacrifices and the temple where there was a preaching about the Passover festival and the priestly practices. His disciples were left behind in the front of Israel.
The Pharisees were very angry when they saw him there. Walking the streets, talking to people coming and going.
More and more people came to Jerusalem for the festivals, especially laborers, laborers, servants, and merchants with provisions. And around the city and in the open places, tents and huts were set up to house the people that came; and they brought many lambs and other animals into the city, and the people chose their lambs for the passover. There were also unbelievers and pagans. In Bethany Jesus taught and healed the sick publicly. Some of the sick people from other parts of the world were brought to him, and some of his relatives from Zechariah's hometown of Hebron invited him to join them.
Jesus was again in the temple; and in the afternoon, when most of the priests had left the temple, he taught in the place where the disciples were, telling them and other godly Israelites of the nearness of God's kingdom, of the Passover, of the fulfillment of the prophecies and of the figures of the Passenger Lamb spoke very severely, and some priests who were still busy there who felt moved by his words, though they held an inner grudge against him. After that, Jesus and the men went out to Bethany and that night with some of his disciples to Hebron. Hebron was four hours away. At the temple, they worked on preparations for the Passover. Inside, a number of things were being changed for that occasion.
Passages and galleries were open and clean, and the compartments were removed to make room. Now you could go to the altar in various parts and the entire interior appearance was completely changed. Meanwhile Jesus was on his way to Hebron with some of his disciples and a crowd of people who had come to him from the relatives of Zechariah.
I was on my way between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I'd have to walk about five hours. He traveled through Judah to Hebron, where he freely taught and healed many sick people. He went back to Bethany for the Sabbath feast. The path passed through the top of the mountain. It was getting hot. Some of John's disciples who had come with Jesus now went back to see John. On the Sabbath he was in the temple and went to the hall with Obed, where there was a chair to teach; later he taught there where priests and Levites were sitting in a circle around the teaching chair, from which a theme about the Passover feast developed. Jesus' appearance caused a great stir among those present, especially when he asked a question that no one could answer, or he made some clarification about the preaching work.
Among other things, he said that the time had come when the type and figure of the Passover Lamb would have its fulfillment; that this ceremony and the temple itself would have its end. He spoke figuratively, but with such precision and clarity, that I thought, unwittingly, of that passage in the Pange language, which says: Et antiquum documentum novo cedat ritui. When the Pharisees asked him who had told him these things, he replied that his father had told him and had not spoken about him.
Jesus spoke generally, and the Pharisees, though very angry with him, dared not trouble him; they were full of anger and wonder at the same time, which they could not explain. He was not allowed to enter that part of the temple, but he, as a prophet, was allowed. In the last year of his life Jesus taught here. After the Sabbath, Jesus went back to Bethany. Until then, I never saw him talk to Mary the Silent again. I thought the end was near. It seemed to me that she had had a change of heart. She was lying on the floor, on dark blankets, held in her arms by the maidens. It seemed to me as if I was now more in touch with the earth, for I should suffer there and should remain some time more upon it. And he was as if absent from the earth, not knowing what was going on in it. She should have known that this Jesus, who was in her home in Bethany, was the one who was to suffer so much, and she should stay some more time on earth to suffer with him out of compassion. He'd be dead soon.
On Saturday night, Jesus visited the Silent Woman and spoke to her for a long time. Sometimes she was lying on her bed, and sometimes she was walking. He was now in his final moments: he realized what the earth was, what the life of the other world was, and that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Savior, who for this reason would have to suffer much. She was sad because of that thought and the world weighed heavily on her. He was especially distressed by the ingratitude of men whom he knew in advance.
Jesus spoke at length to her about the nearness of God's kingdom and its sufferings; then he blessed her and left her. She was now very beautiful and slender, pale as transparent; her hands were like ivory and her fingers were fine. In the morning Jesus healed many who had come to him from afar, as well as strangers who had come for the feast, crippled and blind. He did everything openly and publicly. Some men from the temple came to him and asked him who had given him permission to mix and speak during the discussion. Jesus calmly answered them and spoke again of his father.
The Pharisees were not able to confront him directly; they felt like a terror in his presence and could not explain what was happening to them. Jesus did not let himself be frightened and began teaching again in the temple. All the disciples from Galilee were there, and they had been to a wedding at Cana. Mary and the holy women lived in the house of Mary Mark. Lazarus bought many chosen lambs, and after having prepared them, he distributed them among the workers and the laborers.
Jesus drives out the merchants from the temple
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at the temple, he drove out the many who were selling food, plants, birds and lambs. He showed them the place in the inn called the Gentile Hall.
He warned them kindly that the barking of the lambs and the presence of animals in that place were very inconvenient. He helped his disciples carry the tables and drawers and made room for them in the new place. On that same day he healed many sick of the foreigners who came to Jerusalem, especially the poor crippled workers who used to live near the upper room on Mount Zion.
There was an extraordinary influx of people in Jerusalem. Around the city were large expanses of huts and shops, and in the squares and open places long rows of buildings and shops such as streets, where one could obtain what was needed in great abundance to build and supply shops and for the sale of the Passover lambs. In these businesses, some things were bought and others were rented. Large masses of workers and poor people from all over the country were there busy bringing and taking items.
These workers long ago cleaned places and removed anything that could obstruct the places where shops and post offices were set up; other workers cut and assembled fences, cleaned roads, prepared places by removing debris, and installed huts and tents. In the last few days, the roads have been improved.
All these works were about the preparations for the Passover, when the lambs were sacrificed, as the Baptist's preparations were directed to prepare the ways for the Lamb of God who was to be sacrificed for the sins of the world.
When Jesus later returned to the temple, he had to again drive out the merchants who had invaded the forbidden places, because now that all the passages and doors were open by the large influx of people, many of them had gone to the place of prayer. Jesus drove them out of there, pushing their tables, proceeding with more energy and determination than the first time. The disciples helped him in the work; but there were some stupid and bold men who, with an angry gesture and stretching their necks at Jesus, resisted him, so that Jesus himself had to push the tables there with one hand. They could do nothing to him, and despite their anger against him, the place of prayer soon found itself empty.
The merchants were driven out to the outer part of the temple. He told them plainly that twice he had turned them away from the good; that if they returned the third time he would act violently. For this reason some of the most daring shouted against him: what this Galilee thought, this disciple from Nazareth adding that they were not afraid of him. Despite that, they left the scene. There was a large crowd around him, and the pious Jews were right and praised him, though at a distance. Someone also shouted, "The prophet from Nazareth".
The Pharisees were shocked and ashamed. For the days before they had secretly told the people not to join the stranger at the feast, and not to go on speaking much about him and his affairs. But the people were increasingly interested in him, especially since many had come to him and had been healed by him and had heard his teaching elsewhere.
As Jesus left the temple area, a paralytic called out to him and asked him to be healed. When he had cured him, he began to shout out joyfully in the temple courts and to tell the people about his healing. There was a great uproar and astonishment.
The Baptist did not come to the Passover feasts; he did not obey the outward requirements of the law, as did the other men. It was a voice that should cry out; a voice clothed with human flesh with a higher destiny. Now there was a great crowd of people coming to be baptized by him, because many foreigners were coming to the feast.
And there was silence in the city in the evening; and every man was busy in his house, sweeping the leaven, to make unleavened bread; and the objects were covered with rags. It was the same in the house of Lazarus on Mount Zion, where Jesus and his companions were preparing to eat the Passover lamb. Jesus also went about these preparations, teaching by way of passage. Things were done in order under his direction. He did not proceed there with such fear as among the other Jews. Jesus explained to them what was symbolic in these preparations and what the Pharisees had added on their own.
The celebration of the Passover by jesus, Lazarus, and his disciples
A few days later Jesus was in Bethany. When I again saw many merchants in the temple prayer places, I thought that if Jesus were there, these bold ones would go wrong.
In the afternoon, the lambs were sacrificed in the temple. They did so with admirable order and skill. And they carried their lambs on their shoulders, and they went forward in order, and there was room for them all. And there were three courtyards round about the altar, and a great multitude was between the altar and the temple.
And before the sacrificers were bars and appliances with all the comforts; but they were so close one to another, that the blood of a lamb splashed on the side, and so the garments of these chargeable were filled with blood. The priests were in rows to the altar, and the vessels, empty or full of blood, were passed from one hand to the other.
Before the Jews dismembered these lambs, they bound them in such a way that the intestines could be easily removed with one instrument, aided by another. The skin removal was easy: a little bit of it was lifted and attached to a round staff; the lamb was placed before its chest hanging and tied to the neck of the sacrificial owner; and immediately the skin was wrapped with both hands very skillfully.
By afternoon, they had finished the task of sacrificing lambs. It was a red sunset. Lazarus, Obed, and Saturnimenes sacrificed the three lambs that Jesus and his companions ate. The meal took place at the house that Lazarus had on Mount Zion. It was a big building with two wings. In the dining room was the oven where the lambs were baked; but it was very different from what I saw in the Upper Room. This was higher, like the place I had seen at the home of Anne and Mary and at Cana in Galilee.
On the thick walls were empty places where the lambs were laid: they were tied to wood, as if crucified. The room was well decorated and they ate at tables that, to my great wonder, were placed in the shape of a cross. Lazarus was sitting where the cross ends, surrounded by many fountains and plates to serve with bitter herbs, and the lambs were like him around Jesus there were relatives, friends and disciples from Galilee; around Obed and Lazarus were the disciples from Jerusalem, and around Saturnino, the disciples of the Baptist.
There were about thirty of them. This first Passover was very different from Jesus' last, which he did according to the Jewish ceremony. And they had all their staffs in their hands; and they were girded, and ate in haste.
At the other Passover, Jesus had two crosses. They sang psalms there and ate standing, leaving nothing to be left. Later, they sat down more comfortably at the table. In all, there were some things different from what the Jews used to do. Jesus explained things to them, and they set aside certain practices that the Pharisees had introduced on their own. Jesus put the three lambs and served at the table and said that he was doing this as a servant of all. And they sat together until evening, and sang psalms and prayed.
Today everything was silent and mysterious in Jerusalem. The Jews who did not sacrifice were quiet in their homes, which they used to decorate with dark green plants and herbs. The crowd that had stayed in their homes after sacrificing the lambs was now busy with various affairs, and the whole city had an overwhelming sadness.
Today I saw where so many lambs were being slaughtered for the foreigners escorted around the city. They stood outside and within the city, in the open places, wide walls over which one could walk comfortably, and upon these had stood, one beside the other, a multitude of ovens. From afar and far away there was a butcher who kept watch over the order and gave, for a modest remuneration, the necessary things to roast the lambs.
In these stalls and ovens foreigners and foreigners who came to the city used to cook on other occasions. And the fat of the lambs was burned until the evening; and the altar was cleansed, and the gates of the temple were opened the next morning. Jesus and his disciples spent most of the night in prayer at the home of Lazarus. The disciples from Galilee slept in places that had been raised by the building. At dawn they went to the temple, already lit with many lamps.
People were seen everywhere going up to the temple with their sacrifices. Jesus and his disciples were in an early room, where he was teaching. Again a crowd of merchants was seen, standing just steps from the place of prayer and the women.
As they kept going, Jesus ordered them to leave and told those who were there to leave. But they refused and called the guards to help them. These warned the Sanhedrin, because they felt powerless. Jesus commanded the merchants to withdraw from there, and, resisting, he took off a belt of fine reeds from their garments; he made a turn, so that the belt opened in the form of a whip from several parts and with this instrument he attacked the merchants, turned the tables and ran over the boldest ones ahead, while the disciples did the same on both sides, and so they occupied all that space.
Some of the priests came and asked him who had given him authority to do this. He replied that although the Most Holy was no longer in the temple and this was walking toward its ruin, it was still a holy place; that the prayers of so many believers rose from the temple; that the temple was not a place of commerce, of traps and deceit of bags and of vile trafficking and usury. As he was being asked to report on behalf of his employer, he told them it was on behalf of their father. When asked who his father was, he replied that it was not the time to explain it and that they would not understand it either.
After he said this, he turned away from them and began his task of driving out the merchants. Two other groups of soldiers also came, and they were ashamed of the riot. They could not do anything to stop Jesus. Many of the people were pleased with the Prophet, and the soldiers helped to throw away the tables of the merchants and the goods. So Jesus and his disciples drove the merchants out of the temple.
Only those who sold doves, small loaves of bread and soft drinks in the shops installed in the front room were left, because they did not bother and sold more or less necessary things. After that, he went out with his disciples into the hall. It would have been seven or eight in the morning when all this happened. In the afternoon, a sort of procession went out along the Cedar Valley to cut the first beams of the harvest. One of these days, Jesus healed about ten disabled people in the temple courtyard and others who were deaf. This raised a murmur of admiration, for the cured shouted the fact, filled with contentment.
The Pharisees came again and tried to make Jesus answer. Jesus spoke harshly to them, and they could do nothing because the crowd was so enthusiastic about him. After the service, Jesus and his disciples were in the temple courts explaining the book of Moses to them. Jesus asked several questions, because this was a kind of public school where one could argue and ask; in the end he reduced the silence of all, and gave a very different explanation than the Pharisees gave about the point that was read about Moses.
During these days Jesus was almost with his mother, who was always at the home of Mary Mark, full of anguish and tears and in prayer, fearing the uproar that would arise because of her conduct at the temple. After the greater tumult that had arisen because of his healing of the sick, Jesus withdrew to Bethany and observed the Sabbath at the home of Lazarus.
After the Sabbath, the Pharisees went to Mary's house to find Jesus, and they wanted to arrest him. But when they did not find him, they told Mary and the other women who had been with him to leave the city. They were greatly distressed and went to Bethany to Martha's house.
Mary, weeping, went to Martha's room at that moment beside her sister Mary, the Silent One, who was very sick, again out of herself, in a higher world, where she had already seen what she had seen during her mortal life in spirit.
So, being unable to bear her anguish and sorrow, this Mary Silent died in the arms of Mary, Martha, Mary Cleopas and the other holy women. Nicodemus came during the day through Lazarus, despite the persecution against Jesus, who had spent the previous night teaching. Before dawn, Jesus and Nicodemus head to Lazarus' home on Mount Zion. Joseph of Arimathea also came to Jesus. He spoke to them, and they humbled themselves before Jesus. They said they knew who he was, that he was more than just an ordinary man and they vowed to serve him to the death. Jesus commanded them to keep themselves reserved, and they asked him to keep them in his love. Then the other disciples who had eaten the Passover with him came together.
Jesus began to teach them and warn them about the near future. They greeted each other by shaking hands and wiping their tears with the narrow cloth they used to carry around their necks and sometimes with which they covered their heads.